The Philadelphia Eagles have a very important offseason coming up. They haven’t had a strong history of staying at the same level of contention after reaching a Super Bowl. In order to change that this offseason, they will need to be proactive and possibly break tradition. A good start is resigning their All-Pro free agent.
The Eagles Will Prioritize All Pro Free Agent
According to multiple outlets, The Eagles will look to prioritize re-signing linebacker Zack Baun this offseason. The Bleacher Report article says that Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer was the first to break this news. This should come as a potential sigh of relief for Eagles fans.
After all, why would the team possibly consider letting an All-Pro on their defense walk? The answer lies in the team’s traditions. The Eagles have always prided themselves as a team that builds through the trenches. That is especially so on the defensive line. Creating pressure with their front four usually always takes precedence over almost any other unit of the defense. Due to this, the Eagles have approached the linebacker position in years past with little value at worst and interchangeable at best.
This has been seen in past offseasons when the team moved on from Jordan Hicks shortly after winning the Super Bowl in 2017. More recently, the team let T.J. Edwards go to the Chicago Bears for what would have been a manageable salary.
However, this time around the opportunity may be too much to pass up. Losing a captain over the middle of the defense was disastrous for the team in 2023. The team plummeted from a top passing defense to the literal worst passing defense in the span of a season.
General Manager Howie Roseman has shown the ability to evolve and change over the course of his career. This should be another area where he changes course in re-signing Baun.
Baun’s Breakout Season
From his two-sack 15 tackle performance against the Green Bay Packers, to his pick in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, Baun has been making an impact for the Birds. After being a reserve piece for the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles picked him up last offseason.
Baun had a breakout campaign in 2024. He had 151 combined tackles, 93 of which were solo, 3.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He alongside Nakobe Dean formed a formidable one-two punch at the second level of the Eagles defense and were a key reason for the team revitalization in 2024.
Also, the Baun connection with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio can’t be overlooked either. Fangio specifically took interest in Baun because he saw something in the Saints after thought. Baun seems to thrive in Fangio’s system. Keeping not just your players happy, but your coordinators happy as well, is paramount.
Keeping Baun in Philadelphia is beneficial for a multitude of reasons. He’s a great player, locker room leader and source of continuity for the defensive coordinator. Roseman can’t let history repeat itself and needs to re-sign their top free agent this offseason.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
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