From top to bottom, the Philadelphia Eagles have one of (if not the) best rosters in the NFL. Through the first few weeks of training camp, that sentiment has only become more evident.

There’s only one position that looks like it could be a true weakness – linebacker.

We all hope second-year backer Nakobe Dean will live up to expectations, but according to a handful of reporters who’ve been at practice, the former Georgia captain has been relatively quiet throughout camp. Then on Thursday, Dean exited practice with an ankle injury, and is now considered day-to-day.

Reports indicate that he’ll be fine and ready to go come September. However, his absence has only illuminated the need for adequate linebacker depth on the Eagles roster.

Eagles reporter John McMullen emphasizes this same notion

With Dean sidelined, the starting duo for the first-team defense was Christian Elliss, a former undrafted free agent, and rookie Nolan Smith, who was playing out of position to mitigate Dean’s absence.

That’s far from ideal, obviously.

Elliss has been a standout during the summer and has probably, at the very least, secured himself a roster spot. In regards to Smith, the last thing the Eagles should do is force him into a position that won’t allow him to utilize his biggest strength – getting after the passer.

Sure, Smith has the athletic ability to do it, but so did Haason Reddick when the team that drafted him, the Arizona Cardinals, made him an inside backer from day one. Reddick was on the fast track to being a bust until his fourth season, when Arizona finally let Reddick line up from his natural position at defensive end.

While moving Smith to inside backer during camp could be a sign of how much faith the coaching staff has in his versatility, it also tells us just how little they think about the remaining depth chart at inside backer.

PointsBet: 5 Second Chance Bets Up To $100 Each

• Sign up for a new PointsBet account
• Make a first-time deposit
• Place five (5) cash wagers up to $100
• Receive any losing wagers back in Bonus Bets

Claim your second chance bets here >>

Nicholas Morrow was signed this offseason and has been viewed as a potential starter. With Dean out, he ran with the second-team. The Eagles also have Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, and undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren. None of them have gotten any time with the first-team defense, according to reports out of camp.

At this point, if Howie Roseman is going to make one more addition to his roster before the regular season starts, it’s going to be at linebacker. Some could argue that the front office may also look to add a safety, but it appears like the team has a lot of faith in Reed Blankenship, Terrell Edmunds, and rookie Sydney Brown.

There are a handful of notable backers remaining on the free agent market. Numerous outlets have suggested former first-round pick Myles Jack, who’s still only 27 years old and led the Pittsburgh Steelers in tackles last season. We also have Rashaan Evans, Deion Jones, and Kwon Alexander.

My fellow Eagles nerd Victor Williams named six backers the Eagles could look into before September rolls around. You can read his entire list here.

Roseman is always looking to tweak his roster and get as much talent as possible. It’s been pretty clear this entire offseason that linebacker would be a need for Philadelphia. Now that we’ve seen just how barren the LB room is, signing a linebacker before Week 1 is a must.

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images