Credit where it’s due: Zack Baun delivered in a big spot for his new Philadelphia Eagles team. The Eagles left Brazil with a win over the Green Bay Packers on Friday night, and Baun’s efforts were a big part of their success. The former New Orleans Saints linebacker ended the night with 15 combined tackles, two quarterback hits, and two sacks — including a game-winner off of Malik Willis, who had replaced the injured Jordan Love.
And it’s not like Baun was cleaning up tackles 8 or 9 yards downfield. According to the official NFL Gamebook, Baun averaged 3.0 yards per tackle on his 15 stops. Just two of those tackles ended after the Packers offense gained 8 or more yards. He had five stops at or behind the line of scrimmage and three more within two yards of it.
He just needed this opportunity, which he wasn’t given in New Orleans. The Saints already had Demario Davis locked in at one linebacker spot but they chose to draft Pete Werner a year after they traded up for Baun. As highly regarded Dennis Allen and linebackers coach Michael Hodges are, they couldn’t figure out how to get Baun on the field for most of the four years he spent in New Orleans. A fifth of his 660 career defensive snaps with the Saints (142) came in the final six games he played in a Saints uniform. He played almost twice as many snaps on special teams (1,293).
What’s even more frustrating is that Baun wasn’t used much different in Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense than what he saw in Allen’s system. Per Pro Football Focus charting, he lined up on the line of scrimmage as a pass-rushing outside linebacker just 12 times. Just like he did with the Saints, Baun spent the majority of his 67 defensive snaps off the ball as an inside linebacker (47 times). He covered the slot seven times and was once asked to cover a receiver out wide.
Still, the fact that Baun had as many sacks in his first game with the Eagles as he did in 64 appearances with the Saints (including two playoff games) is embarrassing. It highlights a common criticism of the team extending even beyond Allen’s tenure. The Saints have struggled to draft, develop, and retain their own talent over the years, and Baun is another great example of it just like Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams, Alex Anzalone, and Kaden Elliss, among other players.
Too many draft-day gambles and picks spent chasing upside have come back to haunt them. When Baun signed with the Eagles this spring, it left Cesar Ruiz as the only member of the team’s 2020 draft class still on the roster. Ruiz and Erik McCoy are the only draft picks remaining from the 2019 and 2018 draft classes, too. Of the six-man 2021 class, Pete Werner is the only member to have signed a new deal; it feels unlike Payton Turner returns next year, and Paulson Adebo may be get priced out on the free agent market.
So there’s a good chance Baun isn’t the last player drafted by the Saints to go on and find more success somewhere else. But Saints fans will get a good look at him in just a few weeks when Baun and the Eagles visit the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 22.
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