Nakobe Dean reveals major Eagles practice change after 2-game losing streak

Heading into Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles need to do something, anything, to get back on track after suffering a series of increasingly frustrating losses to the Denver Broncos and then the New York Giants.

Well, as it turns out, the Eagles have been internally trying to figure that out too, going so far as to throw on the pads for a Wednesday practice instead of their usual walkthrough in order to bring some fire back to both sides of the ball, as Nakobe Dean told reporters on Wednesday.

“We had a practice today, we had the pads back on. So it tells you, compared to the week before that, we didn’t have the pads on,” Dean noted. “So that tells you just the mentality we’re just trying to get back to the work. Trying to be one of the guys every day.”

Asked if Vic Fangio presented the idea of wearing pads during practice or if the players presented the idea to their defensive coordinator, Dean noted it was a collaborative effort, with the entire defense looking to come together in the pursuit of recapturing their Super Bowl form.

“It was definitely, probably it was a coach thing, but some players went to him and said, ‘No more walk-through Wednesday. We gotta go, we gotta have pads on,'” Dean explained. “But he’s probably gonna change anyway, knowing. But I mean, not a big team, we went one week without it. And then it seemed like we lost two games, so it was like, all right, get back in the pad. It was cool, all the superstitions figured out.”

So what can the Eagles do to get back on track? Well, Dean commented on that too, noting that after getting a few days off to think about the loss, Philadelphia is ready to bring some violence to Minnesota.

“He spoke on it, and that was it. He didn’t beat a dead horse, I would say, you know what I’m saying? Definitely, after we had the Friday, Saturday, Sunday off, we were gonna come in Monday to talk about how bad we were on Thursday. So we watched the film individually, but not as a defense,” Dean said.

“We moved on to Minnesota, and we know we gotta pick up the nastiness, the violence, and the toughness of the group, and we gotta get our swagger back. And I feel like, I don’t feel like I know it’s gonna happen.”

Returning from the PUP list in Week 5 after spending all of September in street clothes, Dean made his debut in Week 6 against the Giants, logging just six special teams snaps as he eased his way back into the mix. With the Eagles’ deal with injuries and a surprise retirement on the defensive line, bringing the right attitude to Minnesota could be a key to returning to the win column and getting the season back on track.

One change for the Eagles coming off...