Nakobe Dean from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Zack Baun showed promise as a pass rusher for the New Orleans Saints last season, but after joining the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is testing him at a new position: inside linebacker.
Baun has been taking first-team reps at ILB at minicamp alongside former Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Devin White, another free agent signing for Philadelphia. What’s especially significant is that Baun has been getting those reps ahead of Eagles’ 2022 third-round pick Nakobe Dean.
“It is real; every time we go out there, (Baun) is with the ones,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote on X on June 5. “In one package, Baun was the only LB on the first team. I believe we’ll have to get used to seeing Baun in that location.”
Baun, 27, spent the first four seasons with the Saints. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker appeared in all 17 games for the Saints last season, starting six. In 2023, he recorded 30 total tackles (4 for loss), 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hits, two passes defensed, and his first career interception.
According to PFF, Baun has 448 defensive line snaps outside the tackle in his career. He’s taken 169 photos from the box and 41 from the slot, so going inside will be a bit of a difference.
“I have no idea why [Fangio] went that direction,” Baun told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I can perform a variety of things. If Vic sees me there and has studied my film, he has watched me. He has seen me in the league and in college and knows what I’m capable of. And if he thinks that’s a good fit for me, that’s where I’ll be.”
“I feel like I can do a variety of things. There is no disappointment. “In Vic’s scheme, there are always opportunities to rush the passer from the inside and do a variety of cool things,” Baun noted.
Baun, a third-round pick for the Saints out of Wisconsin in 2020, could fill the vacuum left by T.J. Edwards, another former Wisconsin star.
Philadelphia felt the loss of Edwards in the centre of the field last year when he went for Chicago, where he made a huge impact in 2023, leading the Bears in tackles (155).
What’s going on with Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean?
That was one of the most often asked questions after Philly’s veteran minicamp ended. “Baun has seemingly surpassed Nakobe Dean as the first-team LB alongside White,” said Pro Football Network’s Anthony DiBona on June 6. Dean’s struggle to remain in the starting lineup is almost certainly due to injuries.
Dean played in all 17 games as a rookie, but he spent most of his time on special teams, accounting for only 3% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.
Dean was expected to be the starting ILB entering into the 2024 season, but foot and back ailments limited him to five games last year. If he does not earn a starting spot this season, it is reasonable to question his future with the team.
The Eagles are paying White $4 million this season, while Baun inked a one-year deal worth $1.6 million. If Baun continues to impress and earns the starting role at ILB for Philadelphia, he could be the team’s best addition of the offseason.
