With Nakobe Dean out for the rest of the season, Trotter Jr. could be called upon to play more on defense for the team he grew up rooting for when it was his father playing playoff football.

The Philadelphia Eagles held their first practice session of the week on Wednesday in advance of Sunday's NFL Divisional Round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. While some star players, like wide receiver A.

Eagles' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio indicated that Jeremiah Trotter Jr. could very well be in the mix Sunday against the Rams.

Vic Fangio has what he calls “a little rule.” A backup linebacker wouldn’t solely practice with another backup linebacker when doing team drills, “because that’s not how it’s going to happen in a game,

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. stood at his locker with a phone in his hand, talking to his father on the other end after his first career start in the league went as well is it could go. Trotter's father, four-time Pro Bowler and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter Sr.

PHILADELPHIA — Nakobe Dean registered double-digit tackles in five of the Eagles’ last six regular-season games and was headed in that direction again Sunday against the Green Bay Packers when his season abruptly ended in the first round of the playoffs.

In the absence of Najobe Dean, the Philadelphia Eagles know that they need to have a strong succession plan in place if they want to keep their defense among the elite in the playoffs. For defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, that means potentially choosing between a veteran like Oren Burks and a fifth-round rookie in Jeremiah Trotter Jr.