Eagles getting linebacker help from near-afterthoughts in free agency

Nick Morrow and Zach Cunningham have given the Eagles stability at the linebacker position with Nakobe Dean out

Heading into the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Eagles looked strong at just about every position on the field. But there was one glaring question mark on the roster and that was the linebacker position.

In 2022, it was Kyzir White and TJ Edwards manning the middle of the field for the Eagles. They were the two leading tacklers for the Eagles last season — Edwards had 159, White had 110. Both left in free agency as Edwards signed with the Chicago Bears and White followed former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Eagles knew they were going to lean on 2022 third-round pick Nakobe Dean to fill one of those linebacker spots. The other spot was a question mark but would eventually be filled by free-agent signing Zach Cunningham, whom the Eagles added in August as depth but eventually became a Week 1 starter. Then Dean went down with an injury and so another free-agent signing, Nicholas Morrow, stepped in for Week 2 and has been holding down the fort since then while Dean recovers from a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve after Week 1.

So how have two veteran linebackers, one oft-injured in recent years, that nearly seemed like afterthoughts been able to hold the Eagles’ defense together?