Getty Nakobe Dean of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Zack Baun flashed as a pass rusher for the New Orleans Saints last season, but the after joining the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is trying him at a new position: inside linebacker.
Baun has been getting first-team reps in minicamp at ILB alongside former Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Devin White, another free agent acquisition for Philly. What’s also noteworthy about this is that Baun has been getting those reps ahead of Eagles’ 2022 third-rounder Nakobe Dean.
“It is real, everyday we go out there it is (Baun) with the ones,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote on X on June 5. “There was even a package where it was just the single LB out there with the 1st team, and it was Baun. … I think we have to get used to seeing Baun out there in that spot.”
Eagles’ Zack Baun Fine With Playing Inside LB
Nakobe Dean working as second team LB again behind starters Zack Baun and Devin White.
Baun, 27, spent his first four seasons with the Saints. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker played in all 17 games for New Orleans last season, starting six. He finished with 30 total tackles (4 for loss), 2.0 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, two passes defensed and his first career interception in 2023.
Per PFF, Baun has taken 448 snaps outside the tackle at defensive line throughout his career. He has taken 169 snaps from the box and 41 in the slot, so moving inside will be bit of a change.
“I have no clue why [Fangio] went that direction, actually,” Baun said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I can do a lot of different things. If that’s where Vic sees me and he’s studied my film, he’s watched me. He’s seen me in the league and in college, he’s seen what I can do. And if he thinks that’s a good spot for me, that’s where I’ll be.”
“I feel like I can do a lot of different things. There’s no disappointment. In Vic’s scheme, there’s always opportunities to rush the passer from the inside and do a bunch of different cool things,” Baun added.
A third-round selection for the Saints out of Wisconsin in 2020, perhaps Baun could fill the void left by another former Wisconsin standout, T.J. Edwards.
Philly felt the loss of Edwards in the middle of the field last year after he left for Chicago, where he had a significant impact in 2023, leading the Bears in tackles (155).
What’s Going on With Eagles LB Nakobe Dean?
That’s one of the most often-asked questions after Philly’s veteran minicamp concluded. “Baun has seemingly surpassed Nakobe Dean as the first-team LB alongside White,” Pro Football Network’s Anthony DiBona wrote on June 6. Injuries surely have a lot to do with Dean’s inability to remain in the starting lineup.
Dean appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, but he primarily played on special teams, playing just 3% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.
Dean was slated to be the starting ILB heading into the start of the 2024 season, but foot and back injuries limited him to five games last season. If he doesn’t win a starting role this season, it’s fair to question his future with the team.
The Eagles are paying White $4 million this season, and Baun signed a one-year bargain deal at $1.6 million. If Baun continues to impress and secures the starter position at ILB for Philly, he could wind up being the team’s best signing of the offseason.
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Eagles’ Bargain Free Agent Addition Turning Into Likely Starter: ‘It Is Real’