Bleeding Green Nation
Philadelphia’s inside linebacker is a total beast.
Saquon Barkley is NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, according to an official league announcement.
Baun was an absolute BEAST in the Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Dallas Cowboys. He logged a team-high eight total tackles (three solo), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one tackle for loss.
We raved about Baun in this week’s edition of Winners-Losers-IDKs:
The thought struck me on Sunday afternoon: is Zack Baun the best Eagles linebacker ... ever?!
I’m aware it sounds hyperbolic. And, look, I was born in 1991, my memory of watching the Eagles goes back to the early 2000s.
But I feel like Baun is the best Eagles linebacker I’ve ever watched.
He’s an absolute beast.
Really, is there anything he can’t do?
Baun has looked great in coverage. So much so that I nearly mistook him for a defensive back the way he gained depth to break up a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. He’s allowed just a 72.6 passer rating when targeted. Pro Football Focus has him graded as their second-best linebacker in coverage this season ... only slightly behind FRED WARNER.
Baun is dominant against against the run. He leads all NFL linebackers in defensive stops, which are tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. He has 40. Three players are tied for second with 36 ... and they’ve all played one more game than Baun has.
Safe to say the Eagles really nailed this free agent signing. Speaking during his Tuesday press conference, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Howie Roseman put Baun on his radar ... but it was Fangio who foresaw a position change maximizing Baun’s strengths.
Q: Zack Baun gives you a lot of credit for helping him become the player that he is this year. What is it that you saw in him that gave you the belief in him?
VIC FANGIO: Y’know, I don’t know. When I evaluate players, there’s no check box, things you check off. You just watch the tape, watch the movement patterns, watch the player play. And Howie brought him up to me first, but he had a vision for him as a backup outside linebacker/special teams demon. After I watched him, I said ‘No, I think he’s an inside linebacker.’ Luckily, it hit.
Baun is the first Eagles player to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week since Brandon Graham in Week 14 of the 2022 season.
Baun is the first Eagles inside linebacker to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week since ... Jeremiah Trotter Sr. all the way back in 2005.
With the way he’s playing right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if Baun wins this award again before the season is over.
