When the Eagles signed Zack Baun in the spring of 2024 to a modest one-year deal, the move was viewed around the league as depth at best. Few people, even inside the building, expected what came next.
The Transformation
Baun arrived in Philadelphia after four uneven seasons with the New Orleans Saints, where he had been deployed primarily as an edge rusher and rotational linebacker. New Orleans never quite settled on a defined role for him. His counting-stat production in Louisiana was modest at best.
Then he got to Philadelphia and met Vic Fangio.
In 2024, Baun led the Eagles in tackles, added pressure as a part-time blitzer, defended multiple passes, and forced a fumble. He made the Pro Bowl, earned First-Team All-Pro recognition, and played every game. He was the most consistent off-ball defender on the team that went on to win Super Bowl LIX.
One season of context flipped his career trajectory entirely.
What Made the Difference
Two things explain the leap.
Role clarity. Fangio gave Baun a defined job: play off-ball linebacker, read keys, fill gaps, and let his athleticism take care of the rest. Stop asking him to set the edge as a 235-pound defensive end. Stop dropping him in coverage on running backs. Stop using him on rotational pass-rush snaps. Just let him play linebacker.
Scheme fit. Fangio's defense thrives on light boxes and disciplined gap integrity. The linebackers are asked to play fast, communicate, and tackle in space. Those happen to be Baun's strengths. He is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound athlete with elite range, plus instincts, and reliable tackling. He is not built for two-gap responsibilities or coverage downfield, and Fangio rarely asked him to do either.
A Model for Player Development
The Baun story is a reminder that "bust" labels can be premature. Players miscast in one scheme can become difference-makers in another. Saints fans watched Baun for four years and saw a tweener with no clear position. Eagles fans watched him for one season and saw an All-Pro. The talent did not change. The role did.
This is the Howie Roseman pattern at its best: identify players who underperformed because of fit, not ability, and put them in a scheme that maximizes them. Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, and Elijah Moore all arrived this offseason on a similar bet.
2026 and Beyond
The Eagles extended Baun on a multi-year deal before the 2025 season, locking him in as a long-term piece of the defense. He returns in 2026 as the locked-in starter alongside one of three competitors for the second linebacker job: 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell, second-year Jeremiah Trotter Jr., or second-year Smael Mondon Jr.
Baun's role expands in 2026. With a year of Pro Bowl tape and a new contract, he is now the defensive captain off the ball and the player Fangio uses to set the front. The Eagles need him healthy and consistent for another deep playoff run.
The Bottom Line
The Eagles signed Zack Baun on a low-cost one-year deal in 2024. He won them a Super Bowl. Now he is paid like a top-five linebacker and locked in for the rest of his prime.
Best free-agent signing of the Howie Roseman era. It is not particularly close.
