Eagles 2026 Position Group Report Cards: Linebacker

The Transformation Is Complete

For years, the linebacker position was the Eagles' Achilles heel. The franchise tried everything — free agent band-aids, late-round lottery tickets, even schematic workarounds that reduced the position's role entirely. Then Howie Roseman signed Zack Baun on a one-year prove-it deal before the 2024 season, and everything changed.

What happened in 2025 wasn't just a continuation of that breakout. It was a full-scale positional revolution. The Eagles invested real draft capital, locked up their anchor with a $51 million extension, and built the kind of three-deep linebacker room that championship defenses require.

Overall Grade: A-

Zack Baun: The Anchor Delivers Again

When Baun signed that three-year, $51 million extension in March 2025, the question wasn't whether he'd earned it — his First-Team All-Pro 2024 campaign answered that. The real question was whether he could sustain it. Contract-year performances have a long, ugly history of disappearing once the ink dries.

Baun silenced every skeptic.

His 2024 numbers were absurd: 150 total tackles, 5 forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, 4 passes defensed, an interception, and a fumble recovery. He recorded 10-plus tackles in eight regular season games and was the Eagles' leading defender in the Super Bowl with seven tackles and an interception in the 40-22 demolition of the Chiefs. In 2025, Baun continued operating as the heartbeat of Vic Fangio's defense — the green-dot communicator, the tone-setter, the player opposing offenses had to account for on every snap.

What makes Baun special isn't just production. It's the mental processing. He diagnoses run fits at an elite level, rarely takes false steps, and has developed into a genuinely capable coverage linebacker — something the Eagles haven't had since the Jordan Hicks days. At 28 years old entering 2026, Baun is squarely in his prime.

Individual Grade: A

Jihaad Campbell: The Draft Hit That Changes Everything

The Eagles spent the 31st overall pick on Alabama's Jihaad Campbell, and the rookie justified every bit of that investment. Campbell finished the regular season with 76 tackles, 11 quarterback pressures, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble. His 83.1 PFF grade at midseason ranked second among all rookie defenders, and he finished as a top-five linebacker in coverage grade per PFF's metrics.

That coverage ability is the key. The modern NFL demands linebackers who can match tight ends and running backs in space, and Campbell showed he can do exactly that from Day 1. His athletic profile — explosive, rangy, instinctive — gave the Eagles a dimension they've never had at the second level. Pairing him alongside Baun created one of the most versatile linebacker duos in the league.

At just 22 years old, Campbell's ceiling is enormous. If he continues on this trajectory, the Eagles might have their linebacker position locked down for the next half-decade.

Individual Grade: A-

Nakobe Dean: The Comeback That Fell Short

Dean's 2025 was defined by what could have been. After tearing his patellar tendon during the January 2025 playoff run, he spent the offseason and early regular season on the PUP list, not returning to practice until late September and not seeing the field until Week 6 against the Giants.

When he did return, Dean showed flashes of the instinctive, aggressive play that made him a second-round pick out of Georgia. But he was clearly a step slow after the devastating knee injury, and with Campbell and Baun entrenched as starters, Dean found himself in a reduced role. The reality is harsh: a torn patellar tendon at his position is one of the most difficult injuries to come back from, and the Eagles' depth made his path to meaningful snaps even narrower.

Dean's future in Philadelphia is uncertain heading into 2026. He's still only 24, but the Eagles have invested heavily in the position with younger, healthier options.

Individual Grade: C+

The Depth: Trotter Jr. and Mondon Jr.

The Eagles didn't just build a strong starting duo — they built a room. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., the fifth-round pick from 2024 carrying his father's legendary last name, posted an impressive 82.1 PFF defensive grade in his second season. His run-stuffing ability and physicality gave the Eagles a reliable rotational piece who could spell Baun or Campbell without a noticeable drop-off.

Smael Mondon Jr., the fifth-round selection from Georgia in 2025, provided additional depth and special teams value. Between Trotter and Mondon, the Eagles had four capable linebackers on the roster — a luxury this franchise hasn't enjoyed in decades.

Depth Grade: B+

Looking Ahead to 2026

The linebacker room entering 2026 is the strongest it's been since the Jim Johnson era. Baun is locked up through 2027. Campbell is ascending on a rookie deal. Trotter Jr. is developing into a legitimate NFL contributor. The Dean situation needs resolution, but even that's a good problem to have — you'd rather have too many capable players than too few.

The only thing keeping this grade from a straight A is the unknown: Can Baun sustain elite play at 28? Will Campbell avoid the sophomore slump? Those are fair questions, but they're the kind of questions you want to be asking. The Eagles' linebacker position went from a franchise weakness to a franchise strength in the span of two seasons. That doesn't happen by accident.

The front office got this one right. Now the linebackers just need to keep proving it.