When linebacker Zack Baun signed a 1-year, $1.6 million free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2024, he did so with no guarantee of what his future might hold.
Baun would be switching positions from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, per the desires of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Baun would also be playing in an entirely new — and cold — environment after spending the first 4 seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints in the weatherproof confines of the Caesar’s Superdome.
While the Eagles were taking a middling if negligible risk for that amount of money, it was Baun’s NFL career that was hanging in the balance. Just 9 months later, it’s a different world as Baun’s standout play has put his name among the NFL’s best at his position and turned into an attractive free agent option for 2025.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks Baun should be a target for the struggling Cincinnati Bengals to help shore up a defense that has essentially tanked the season for a team that entered 2024 with Super Bowl hopes.
“If (Baun) does wind up hitting the open market, the Bengals should be looking into him,” Ballentine wrote. “Baun has been an elite run-stuffer for the Eagles this season. His ability to get downhill and erase running lanes is exactly what the Bengals could use to fix their faulty run defense right now.”
Baun leads the Eagles, who are 10-2 and on an 8-game winning streak, with 118 tackles through 12 games but might not be able to return to Philly in 2025 with only $35 million in projected salary cap space available in 2025, according to Spotrac.
Baun Making Case for First Pro Bowl Selection
Before the Eagles’ Week 13 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder suggested the Eagles lock down Baun with a long-term contract extension before his number gets too high.
“The 27-year-old joined Philly on a modest one-year, $1.6 million contract this past offseason,” Holder wrote. “He has significantly outplayed that deal and become one of Philadelphia’s centerpiece defenders. He has flashed while chasing down ball-carriers, rushing the quarterback and in coverage. The do-everything linebacker is likely to cash in with a significant contract should he reach the open market. The Eagles shouldn’t allow him to get there.”
It would have been almost impossible to predict Baun’s success in Philadelphia based on his time in New Orleans, where he was a third round pick (No. 74 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft out of Wisconsin.
In 4 seasons in New Orleans, Baun only started 14 games, with a career-high 6 starts in 2023 that went with career highs in tackles (30), TFL (4), sacks (2.0), as he was mainly used on special teams. Fangio saw something else.
“After I watched (film), I said no, I think he’s an inside linebacker,” Fangio told CBS Sports. “Luckily it hit.”
Bengals’ Defense Needs Complete Overhaul in 2025
While the Bengals’ offense with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is playing as well as any team in the NFL … the defense is another story.
Through 12 games, the Bengals are 4-8 and ranked 27th in the NFL in team defense (369.2 yards), 27th in pass defense (241.0 yards) and 31st in scoring defense (28.3 points).
