The Eagles never missed a beat when Oren Burks had to step in for Nakobe Dean early in Philly’s run to the Super Bowl LIX championship. Now, they must figure out how to replace such quality linebacker depth after Burks agreed to a free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL Media reported that Burks will sign a two-year deal worth up to $5 million to jump ship. It is difficult to fault Burks for leaving for an opportunity where he could find more playing time.
He may have had that initially to begin next season because Dean’s return from a torn patellar injury suffered on Wild Card Weekend is unknown. He could miss the start of the season.
Burks stepped in for Dean and had 25 tackles, with three tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hits, and one pass defended during the playoffs, including the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
He was a team-first player, and that attitude meshed nicely inside a locker room where that was the attitude every player had. It’s a culture fostered by head coach Nick Sirianni, and one Burks bought into right away.
Either way, when Dean is ready to return, Burks would have returned to the bench after the Eagles and Zack Baun agree to a three-year contract that will pay Baun roughly $17 million per year.
Quality depth behind Baun and Dean may already be in-house with last year’s fifth-round pick Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., perhaps ready for a bigger role and the return of Ben VanSumeren, who had knee surgery and was shut down after 11 games. The team also has Dallas Gant signed to a futures contract, and maybe they entertain bringing back Nicholas Morrow for depth. And there’s always the draft.
For now, though, the Eagles may need to find somebody to play next to Baun if Dean cannot return when the season opens on Sept. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field.
