He performed limited positional drills due to an injury (a torn pectoral muscle) that he suffered while training for the NFL Draft.
[12] His draft-day slide was considered surprising, but NFL analyst Ian Rapoport pointed out that teams were reportedly concerned about Dean's size, and his decision to opt against getting surgery to repair his pectoral injury.
[13] Dean's rookie season ended with a trip to Super Bowl LVII where the Eagles lost 38–35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
[17] On January 12, 2025, Dean tore the patellar tendon in his left knee after tackling Tucker Kraft of the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card playoff game.
As a result, the Eagles signed Nicholas Morrow to the practice squad on January 14, while Burks replaced Dean as a starter for the rest of the playoffs.