ESPN Has a Specific Free Agent in Mind for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings may or may not be in the market for a young off-ball linebacker, and ESPN knows just the guy: Nakobe Dean of the Philadelphia Eagles, who is set to test free agency in three weeks.
If the Vikings don’t keep their current veteran mix intact, Dean profiles as a clean Flores-style target with speed, range, and upside.
Matt Bowen sketched out the best landing spots for the NFL’s Top 50 free agents, and for Dean, that’s evidently the Vikings.
A Young Linebacker May Be on the Vikings’ Radar
If Minnesota doesn’t re-up with Eric Wilson or Ivan Pace Jr., a new inside linebacker is mandatory.
ESPN: Dean to Vikings Is the Way
In Bowen’s article about the league’s Top 50 free agents, the Vikings were mentioned just once: the top destination for Dean.
Bowen explained, “Best team fit: Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have cap issues heading into free agency, but I really like the fit for Dean in coordinator Brian Flores’ defense. Dean, who had four sacks with the Eagles in 2025, is the league’s best blitzing linebacker, and he would join a system that led the NFL in blitz rate at 46.8%.”
Dean’s next contract is expected to fetch about $8 million per season, so Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski, in theory, could net him for three years and $24 million or something similar.
Penn Live‘s Johnny McGonigal on Dean’s free agency: “Dean, despite saying he wants to stay, is not expected to return. The Eagles signaled that would be the case when they drafted first-rounder Jihaad Campbell in 2025. We’ll see how the Eagles decide to dole out its cap space — and if they lose starters to any NFC counterparts.”
Dean’s NFL Resume
The Eagles drafted Dean in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft after a bit of a tumble. Most believed Dean would fly off the board in Round 1 or 2. No such luck. Since then, the 5’11” 230-pounder has seen action in 47 games, starting 27, and delivering 226 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, 7.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and an interception. The peak of his powers to date occurred in 2024, when he recorded 128 total tackles and 3 sacks across 15 games.
Here’s Dean’s Pro Football Focus resume through four seasons:
2025: 62.2
2024: 77.4
2023: 61.7
2022: 78.6
Dean’s top attributes are rushing the quarterback and stopping the run; he struggles a bit in pass coverage compared to his peers.
NBC Sports‘ Reuben Frank weighed in on Dean’s free agency Monday, “And the flip side of that is it’s hard to imagine any way Dean is back in 2026. Even if you could sign him — and his outstanding play certainly raised his value significantly — why would he want to come back to a team where Baun and Campbell are going to be the starters?”
“It’s going to be so hard to see Dean go because he’s been such a warrior for this team, and I don’t know if there’s anybody in that locker room who appreciates being an Eagle more than Nakobe. But it doesn’t make sense to pay what Dean is going to command on the open market when you already have two starting linebackers.”
The guy really sounds like a goner in Philly terms.
Vikings Have LB Options but No Youth
There’s a very clear path for the Vikings to feel all set at off-ball linebacker in 2026: simply re-sign Eric Wilson, who played like a fringe Pro Bowler during the entire 2025 campaign. Wilson and fellow defender Blake Cashman can cook in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. No problems there.
Still, both men will be over 30 when the season begins. Most NFL teams prefer a bit of speed and youth at linebacker. The Vikings have neither, though Cashman and Wilson played phenomenally in 2025.
Meanwhile, Ivan Pace Jr.’s future is up in the air. The Vikings could let him walk as a restricted free agent, especially after benching Pace Jr. for Wilson last season. Minnesota’s one young linebacker (Pace Jr.) appears to be on the way out.
Therefore, from the draft or free agency, Brian Flores needs a young linebacker — someone like Dean, who is 25.
Other Free-Agent LBs
If the Vikings want a non-Dean linebacker but also an option not over the age of 30, the free-agent list would look like this in March:
- Devin Bush
- Leo Chenal
- Devin Lloyd
- Kenneth Murray
- Quay Walker
- Devin White
That’s plenty of options; it all depends on whether Minnesota wants youth at ILB or doesn’t mind older defenders like Cashman and Wilson.
NFL free agency gets cracking in 19 days with “legal tampering.”
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