Zack Baun and Trey Hendrickson making first-team All Pro was a great reminder of the talent the New Orleans Saints let walk out of the building. As if that wasn’t enough, both men are also finalists for Defensive Player of the Year.
In a season, where there wasn’t a defensive player, or players, who clearly stood over the rest of the pack, this award seems up in the air.
Baun winning the award feels like a long shot due to his position. He was great in his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles, but Luke Kuechly was the last linebacker to win this award over a decade ago.
Ironically, Baun’s 2024 is very similar to Kuechly’s DPOY season in 2013. Kuechly also endorsed Baun as the player he’d pick to win the award this year on the Rich Eisen Show.
Hendrickson registered 17.5 sacks for the second season. This year it was good enough to lead the NFL in sacks. He also registered 19 tackles for a loss. Hendrickson earned his first first-team All Pro, and his stats give him a good chance of being Defensive Player of the Year for the first time as well.
