Eagles 2025 Training Camp Position Preview: Linebacker

The Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp begins on July 22, with current position previews focusing on linebackers. This unit is anchored by All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year finalist Zack Baun, who recorded 150 regular-season tackles in 2024—the second-highest Eagles linebacker total since 1994. Baun also achieved a rare feat by forcing turnovers in his first four postseason starts, making him only the second NFL linebacker since 1991 to do so.

Returning starters include Baun and Nakobe Dean, both full-time contributors in 2024. The duo combined for 278 regular-season tackles and pivotal turnovers before Dean suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Divisional Round. Baun’s standout performance earned him a lucrative three-year contract after transitioning from a hybrid role with the New Orleans Saints to a starting off-ball linebacker in Philadelphia.

Second-year players Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Dallas Gant add depth to the group. Trotter, a 2024 fifth-round pick, started in Week 18 and recorded 11 tackles, while Gant saw action in two games after being elevated from the practice squad.

The Eagles significantly strengthened the position in the 2025 draft, trading up to select Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell 31st overall. Campbell, an All-American with 117 tackles and 5 sacks in 2024, will initially train at inside linebacker despite recovering from a shoulder injury. Philadelphia also drafted Georgia’s Smael Mondon in the fifth round (213 career college tackles) and signed undrafted free agent Lance Dixon.