Eagles LB Devin White will not travel with the team for Friday's game against the Packers in Brazil. That marked a downgrade in his status after Philly listed White as a limited participant Tuesday. White's inactive status should leave Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun as the LB starters against Green Bay.
Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation on White before Wednesday's news: "There’s been some question if he’ll start in part since he’s not definitively listed as a starter on the team-issued depth chart. It lists 'Devin White/Nakobe Dean' at one spot while Zack Baun is by himself at the other. Even if White is healthy and does start, there’s been thought that Dean might end up playing more snaps than him over the course of a game anyway. ... [DC Vic] Fangio has said he’d ideally like to settle on two starters but he’s also acknowledged it’s an ongoing battle."
Dean was believed to be trailing White and Baun earlier in August but made a late charge. He opened last year as the lead LB but went down in Week 1 and never got back to a full-time role.
It appears Baun -- an offseason import who played sparingly across four years in New Orleans -- is the safest bet to maintain a role when all three are healthy. Of course, it's tough to know how much playing time or production to expect. He reached 50% snap share in a game just three times over the past four seasons.
Dean opened last year wearing the green helmet dot and relaying plays to the defensive huddle. We'll see if he does so this time around.
Ultimately, this situation's tough to project for Week 1, given the unknowns of new players and a new coordinator. You should be able to find safer options for your IDP lineup this week.
But there's upside, and I'll certainly be watching to determine how to project these LBs going forward.
White's a clear loser for his Week 1 injury status. If it's truly a tight battle between him and Dean for roles, then missing the season opener gives Dean the advantage of a chance to impress right away.
We'll see where this goes.
Dean has replaced White in our Week 1 LB rankings. He and Baun each sit low, though.
Both Dean and Baun make sense as early stashes on deeper IDP rosters. Just because we don't know what to make of either player right away doesn't mean they lack upside.
That said, don't force either onto your roster now if you've got higher-rated LB options already.
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