Saints free-agent LB Zack Baun plans to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Zack Baun has found a new home with the Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports that Baun has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Philly. He’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do from a position of strength and possibly earn a bigger contract.
It’s hard to blame Baun’s lack of production with the New Orleans Saints on the player. He was slotted into the strongside linebacker role that New Orleans doesn’t utilize often while running so much nickel and dime personnel. Baun carved out a greater role late last year after resuming the pass-rush specialist role he played in college at Wisconsin, which the Saints never really embraced.
That is where Baun found his most success. His slighter frame may have created hesitancy for New Orleans to use him that way, but he never picked up the coverage skills that they tried to coach him. Baun showed his pass rush ability from college could translate to the NFL despite his size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds). The Eagles will likely use him in that capacity as they retool their defensive line in the wake of Fletcher Cox’s retirement and trade talks centering on both Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick, with Bryce Huff expected to sign a lucrative free agent contract of his own at the start of the new league year. Baun’s one-year deal allows him to show what he can do with a larger sample size of what he does best, rush the passer.
