The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold last offseason.
Zack Baun spent four years with the New Orleans Saints mainly as a role player after being selected in the third round of the 2020 National Football League Draft. In 2023, he appeared in all 17 games for the Saints but made just six starts. He finished the season with one interception, two passes defended, two sacks, and 30 total tackles.
He joined the Eagles and in his first year with the franchise was named to the first-team All-Pro, was a Pro Bowler, and even was a finalist for the AP National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award. Baun started 16 games for the Eagles -- the team rested starters in Week 18 -- and finished the season with one interception, four passes defended, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 3.5 sacks, and 151 total tackles, including 11 tackles for loss.
Baun was dominant and arguably was even better in the playoffs. In the four postseason games he had 33 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, two interceptions, three passes defended, and two fumble recoveries.
He developed into a star right before our eyes and isn't going anywhere after landing a three-year, $51 million deal to stick around. It may have taken people watching to see him for who he is, but it took Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio just a few snaps to see what he could be.
"(Howie Roseman) had a vision for us being an edge player for us and being a good special teams player," Fangio said. "I watched him a couple of times during their games and he would -- if they got the tight end off and motioned him across, he would back off and look like an inside linebacker. Stacked linebacker. It only happened about five or six times and the way he was moving when he got back there, I can't explain it, it's just you know you've watched 40 years of NFL film and coached linebackers, I said 'Man, I think this guy can be an inside linebacker.'"
That's pretty wild. Fangio saw the way he moved on a few snaps and thanks to his experience knew that he would transition well. He almost immediately became one of the top linebackers in the game.
