Tag: Zack Baun

15 biggest salary cap hits for the Eagles in 2024 after first wave of NFL free agency

We’re looking at the 15 biggest cap hits for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 after the first wave of NFL free agency

Change is always good for the soul, and after losing six of their final seven games, including a wild-card loss to the Buccaneers, Philadelphia has undergone a dramatic reconstruction that could pay off with championship dividends.

Offensive coordinators Brian Johnson (Commanders) and Sean Desai (Rams) have left, replaced by Vic Fangio (DC) and Kellen Moore (OC).

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. 

Philadelphia currently has about  $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.

The Eagles also have a Haason Reddick dilemma that’ll be resolved in the next week or more.

The biggest salary cap hits have changed, with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox counting until they’re officially released on June 1.

With the first wave of free agency completed, we’re taking an updated look at the 15 biggest salary cap hits for the Eagles, according to Over The Cap.

Saints linked to a 2024 draft linebacker at Ohio State pro day

The Saints were linked to a 2024 draft linebacker at Ohio State’s pro day. Steele Chambers could be a good pick to help replace Zack Baun:

Here’s an interesting draft prospect. The New Orleans Saints had dinner with Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers before his pro day workout on Wednesday, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. New Orleans signed free agent linebacker Willie Gay to push Pete Werner for snaps but they could use more help with multiple players hitting free agency.

So what’s the story here? Chambers doesn’t fit the athletic thresholds the Saints have maintained at the position. He weighed in at 6-foot-flat and just 226 pounds with 30.5-inch arms at the NFL Scouting Combine, posting pedestrian numbers in the jumps and agility drills, without timing the 40-yard dash until his pro day (where he was clocked in the 4.6 to 4.65 range by scouts in attendance, per 11 Warriors’ Dan Hope). As fate would have it, Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, who briefly played for the Saints, conducted drills for Chambers at the school’s pro day.

While those numbers aren’t strong enough to get him drafted by the Saints early on, they shouldn’t eliminate him altogether. Chambers is projected to be picked in the the last few rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, and that’s generally where teams like New Orleans start to make exceptions for players they like who don’t hit their athletic targets in these drills.

And there’s a lot to like with Chambers. He’s only played linebacker for three years after spending his first two seasons in Columbus at running back, but he’s already totaled more than 1,700 career snaps across 39 games on defense. He has some ball skills with four career interceptions.

Importantly for the Saints, Chambers has played plenty of snaps on special teams. He’s ran with the return and coverage squads on both punts and kickoffs as well as the field goal block team. Zack Baun was a key player on special teams for New Orleans and they need to replace him, among others, in that capacity. Nephi Sewell won’t be ready for training camp after suffering a torn ACL in December, and other special teamers like Andrew Dowell, Ty Summers, and Ryan Connelly are all free agents. Maybe Chambers can win a role in the kicking game before developing into a quality backup. We’ll see where he ends up in April’s draft.

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Zack Baun says goodbye to Saints fans after ‘unforgettable’ 4 years in New Orleans

Zack Baun said goodbye to Saints fans after an “unforgettable” four years in New Orleans. His departure marks another big swing-and-a-miss:

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Zack Baun was one of the first losses the New Orleans Saints took in free agency, but their former linebacker didn’t waste any time in thanking the city for supporting him during the first four years of his career.

The Saints traded up to get Baun in the 2020 draft, sending their 2021 third-round pick to move up from No. 88 to 74 where they could pick him. New Orleans also got back a seventh-round pick at No. 244 which they traded the next day to go get tight end Adam Trautman.

But the plan for Baun was questionable from the start. His position coach Michael Hodges explained that the Saints planned on converting Baun from the pass-rush role he played at Wisconsin to more of a traditional off-ball coverage role that he hadn’t played before. He struggled so badly playing out of position that they drafted two more linebackers in the next two draft classes (Pete Werner and D’Marco Jackson) before relenting in 2023. When Baun was finally allowed to get after the quarterback, he generated 11 pressures (with a couple of sacks) in the final six games.

Now he’ll be doing that for another team. The Eagles are actively revamping their own pass-rush unit and Baun figures to get more looks in that role than he found in New Orleans, which would explain why he left so quickly. Still, his time with the Saints was a great learning experience, and he’s eager to embrace a new challenge in a new city. Good luck to him. The Eagles will be visiting the Saints for a home game in 2024, so we’ll see what he can do firsthand.

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Eagles’ projected depth chart following the first wave of free agency

We’re looking at the Philadelphia Eagles projected depth chart on offense and defense after the first wave of NFL free agency

The Eagles have undergone significant changes on both sides of the football field, involving player personnel and a retooled coaching staff.

Two pillars of the Philadelphia culture have called it a career, as Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox decided to retire.

The free agent period and NFL draft are Howie Roseman’s seasons, and the Eagles GM got off to a roaring start after inking running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal, signing improving pass rusher Bryce Huff and then bringing versatile defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson back into the fold.

Roseman then added talent to the backup quarterback position, acquiring Kenny Pickett from the Steelers for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks.

With the second wave of free agency set to pick up steam, we’re looking at an early depth chart prediction for Philadelphia.

Eagles restructure Josh Sweat’s contract to create extra cap space

The Philadelphia Eagles will hold on to Josh Sweat after he agreed to a restructured contract

The Eagles’ pass rotation will be much improved after the addition of Bryce Huff, but they’ll retain one of their own after agreeing to a restructured contract with pass rusher Josh Sweat.

Sweat finished his sixth NFL season with 6.5 sacks (second-best on the Eagles) and 43 tackles in 17 regular-season games.

Sweat saw his role increase even more in the Eagles’ defensive end rotation this season, as his 71 percent snap share increased over his 56 percent mark from the 2022 season.

Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman may have had questions about extending Sweat after his sack totals dropped from the 11.0 he logged in 2022.

Sweat had 5.5 sacks through nine games but didn’t manage another until Week 18.

Sweat was entering a contract year with a base salary of just over $1 million and a cap hit of just over $9 million.

He was set to count over $21 million against the 2025 salary cap, and some wonder if he reached his ceiling as a pass rusher.

Sweat also had 19 QB hits through 10 games and just four in the last seven games.

Former Wisconsin linebacker gets second chance with Philadelphia Eagles

Former Wisconsin linebacker gets second chance with Philadelphia Eagles

Former Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun plans to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Baun was a third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints back in 2020, but struggled to carve out a consistent role on the Saints’ defense. The former Badger played primarily on special teams, never playing more than 27% of the team’s snaps on the defensive unit.

Related: Where Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds

That said, 2023 was the best year for the former Badger. Baun recorded 30 total tackles, four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two passes deflected, an interception and a forced fumble all in limited playing time.

The Eagles are giving Baun a second chance to find a consistent role. The team recently saw star defensive lineman Fletcher Cox announce his retirement and are reportedly shopping top edge rushers Hassan Reddick and Josh Sweat.

Maybe it’s just on special teams, but the Eagles seem to see something in the Wisconsin product. He’ll look to join a long list of former Badgers to find success in Philadelphia, some of those including RB Corey Clement, DL Beau Allen, S Chris Maragos and CB Troy Vincent.

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Zack Baun agrees to a prove-it deal with the Philadelphia Eagles

Zack Baun is leaving New Orleans for the Eagles. Baun should be given a larger sample size in Philadelphia to show he can be a pass rusher

Zack Baun has found a new home with the Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports that Baun has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Philly. He’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do from a position of strength and possibly earn a bigger contract.

It’s hard to blame Baun’s lack of production with the New Orleans Saints on the player. He was slotted into the strongside linebacker role that New Orleans doesn’t utilize often while running so much nickel and dime personnel. Baun carved out a greater role late last year after resuming the pass-rush specialist role he played in college at Wisconsin, which the Saints never really embraced.

That is where Baun found his most success. His slighter frame may have created hesitancy for New Orleans to use him that way, but he never picked up the coverage skills that they tried to coach him. Baun showed his pass rush ability from college could translate to the NFL despite his size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds). The Eagles will likely use him in that capacity as they retool their defensive line in the wake of Fletcher Cox’s retirement and trade talks centering on both Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick, with Bryce Huff expected to sign a lucrative free agent contract of his own at the start of the new league year. Baun’s one-year deal allows him to show what he can do with a larger sample size of what he does best, rush the passer.

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Eagles to sign LB Zack Baun to a 1-year deal

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing former New Orleans Saints linebacker Zack Baun to a one-year deal

The Eagles have started retooling the linebacker position, signing former Saints defender Zack Baun to a one-year deal.

Baun, 27, started six games for the Saints last season, recording two sacks, an interception, and four quarterback hits.

Baun recorded 30 tackles across 17 games in the 2023 regular season.

Baun saw a career-high 292 defensive snaps last season while continuing to play a critical role on special teams (381).

The 2020 third-round pick was a core special-teamer since his first year with the Saints, but he’s yet to log more than 30 tackles in a single season.

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Projected market value for Saints’ top pending free agents

Here’s a quick look at projected market value for some of the New Orleans Saints’ top pending free agents, including complicated cases like Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston:

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the New Orleans Saints have a couple of players who could hit the open market — including several starters and some ascending backups hoping for larger roles in 2024.

But could the Saints get priced out of their services? Different outlets have projected market values for some of New Orleans’ pending free agents, so let’s take a look at the numbers from Pro Football Focus, Spotrac, and Over The Cap:

Saints free agent preview: LB Zack Baun, stay or go?

Next up in our New Orleans Saints free agent previews: Zack Baun broke out late last year for the Saints, but should he stay or go?

We’ve covered the biggest names in the New Orleans Saints upcoming free agency class in Michael Thomas, Jameis Winston and Andrus Peat. Now, it’s time to start taking a look at the depth pieces that the Saints will either be looking to bring back or replace for a better value.

The Saints drafted Zack Baun in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. Now it’s time to figure out if the team should invest in a second contract for the linebacker. He finally started to carve out a role in the defense for himself towards the end of his fourth season, but was it enough to warrant bringing him back?

Let’s take a deeper look into the former Wisconsin Badger’s potential future in New Orleans: