Continuing our series of ranking the toughest departures from the New Orleans Saints this offseason, linebacker Zack Baun finds himself fourth on the list.
Baun leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles has the potential to be a huge regret for New Orleans, but their usage of him prevented him from entering the top-three in this list. Baun entered the NFL draft as a pass rusher whose size best suited him as a linebacker in an odd-front defense. That would allow him to stay on-ball and rush the passer on most downs.
Instead, the Saints converted him to an off-ball role, which immediately negated his greatest asset. It wasn’t until the end of his tenure they let him rush the passer more. Would that have continued? With Payton Turner returning from injury and Isaiah Foskey entering his second season, Baun may have been limited to being a minor part of the pass rush at the beginning of the year.
In Philadelphia, they have experience using small pass rushers. Even if he does succeed, his ceiling in New Orleans wasn’t that high.
The addition of Chase Young also makes this departure less impactful. The situation at a position is just as important as the talent of the player. Young comes to the Saints hoping to capitalize on the potential that made him the second overall pick in 2020 NFL draft.
