The Philadelphia Eagles survived Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, defeating the New England Patriots 25-20 in a rather unimpressive game from the defending NFC champions. Unfortunately, they also saw young linebacker Nakobe Dean suffer an injury that could keep him sidelined for a while.

Dean, one of the five former Georgia Bulldogs the Eagles have on their defense, injured his right foot and was listed as questionable to return initially. Now, he is going to miss several weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Fortunately, he won’t need surgery and should return to the field at some point this season.

“#Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is expected to miss multiple weeks with a foot injury suffered yesterday in their win over the #Patriots, sources say. It was relatively decent news considering, as no surgery is required — he should be back with plenty of time this season,” Rapoport said in a series of posts. “Given the timing, Injured Reserve is a possibility but he would be designated to return.”

Dean posted seven total tackles, tying him for second-most on the team with Justin Evans, as the Eagles held on to beat the Patriots in Foxborough. Philly’s defense has plenty of high-level contributions, including rookie lineman Jalen Carter, to make up for the loss of one of its key players, though their linebacking core is relatively thin. Their offense must be better, too, to give the defense more favorable situations.

The Eagles are bringing in another linebacker as Dean heals from his foot injury. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Philly is signing Rashaan Evans to the practice squad. The former first-round pick, selected 22nd overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2018, started all 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons last year.