One of the most modest signings in the 2024 free agent cycle ended up being one of the best in Philadelphia Eagles franchise history after bringing in Zack Baun on a 1-year, $1.6 million contract then watching him switch positions, earn NFL All-Pro honors and help lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win.
Can the Eagles do it again in 2025 with another player?
That seems to be the upside for edge rusher Joshua Uche after the Eagles signed the former second round pick to a 1-year free agent contract on March 13. Uche was traded from the New England Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 6th round pick midway through the 2024 season.
The Eagles lost last season’s leading edge rusher, Josh Sweat, to the Arizona Cardinals on a 4-year, $76.1 million contract in free agency.
“The Eagles obviously need edge rushing depth,” PHLY’s Zack Berman said on the PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast on March 13. “They lost Josh Sweat this week … Brandon Graham could retire this offseason. So you look at the Eagles depth chart, they obviously have Nolan Smith. OK. They have Jalyx Hunt. They have, for now, Bryce Huff. So this is was a spot they’ll continue to address.”
Uche Had Breakout Season With 11.5 Sacks in 2022
Uche was selected in the second round (No. 60 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft by the Patriots after putting up 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in his final season at Michigan in 2019.
Uche was a rotational player throughout his entire time with the Patriots but had a breakout season in 2022 with 11.5 sacks in 15 games with zero starts while only playing 33 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. He failed to deliver on that promise in 2023 and 2024 and only has 7.0 sacks over the last 2 seasons.
One thing to point out about Uche is he has never been a primary starter through his first 5 seasons in the NFL — he has just 4 career starts in 64 career games.
Eagles Might Use Baun Template to Utilize Uche
It’s worth noting that Baun didn’t become one of the NFL’s best inside linebackers until he came to the Eagles after spending the first 4 seasons of his career as an edge rusher for the New Orleans Saints.
After switching positions in Philadelphia at the behest of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Baun became a star. They might be able to do the same thing for Uche, who is versatile in both the pass rush game and pass coverage and at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds has a frame more in tune with an inside linebacker.
Baun became a full time starter for the first time in his career in Philadelphia and came through with 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 1 interception. In 4 postseason games including win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Baun had 33 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries in 4 playoff games.
That led to Baun hitting a major payday this offseason.
“Breaking: Eagles are re-signing All-Pro LB Zack Baun to a three-year, $51 million contract, including $34 million guaranteed at signing and additional $1.5 million in incentives and escalators, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on March 5. “The contract instantly makes Baun one of the highest-paid LBs in the NFL.”
