The Eagles have several key players headed for free agency when the new league year begins on March 12.
They know they're not going to keep all of them, but they do want to try and hold on to breakout linebacker Zack Baun, who The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane reported as the Eagles' "priority" to sign before free agency opens.
INDIANAPOLIS— Re-signing Zack Baun is an #Eagles priority ahead of free agency, per sources (and contrary to how this bonehead saw it a couple weeks ago).
Plus, Howie Roseman cryptically gives clues about offseason plans in my column from the NFL combine:https://t.co/JhVhWdLlSD— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) February 26, 2025
The 28-year-old Baun left the Saints to sign a one-year deal with the Eagles last spring, and under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, he rapidly grew into arguably the greatest steal of the offseason.
He collected a career-high 3.5 sacks and a team-leading 151 sacks, graded out at an NFL-leading 90.1 on Pro Football Focus among all linebackers, got selected to his first Pro Bowl, his first All-Pro First Team, and had a nomination for Defensive Player of the Year.
Then in the playoffs, he recovered a fumble against the Rams, forced one out against the Commanders, and in the Super Bowl, picked off Patrick Mahomes on the first play of a crucial drive where the Kansas City offense was already struggling. The Eagles flipped that into the A.J. Brown touchdown that put them up 24-0, and well on the way to their second-ever Lombardi Trophy.
And Baun proved a critical piece to that journey.
THAT'S 1ST TEAM ALL-PRO ZACK BAUN FOR YOU 🫡@zackbizzaun | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TdmEJLhGgX
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025
His breakout year in Philadelphia more than likely upped his price tag for the open market, but the Eagles might be in a spot where they would want to hit that number.
Nakobe Dean took major strides as a linebacker this season, too, but he's rehabbing from a knee injury that will take a while to come back from. Plus, there's already a known fit and clear comfort in Fangio's defense, and looking further down the depth chart, Oren Burks is set for free agency as well, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. probably needs a couple more years of development.
One of the greater strengths of the Eagles' defense on the way to the Super Bowl this past season was through their consistently solid linebacking play, which took away many opponents' ability to work the middle of the field with medium-yardage plays.
They've also seen what it's like when that position group gets stretched too thin. The defense bled yards and got picked apart as they spiraled through the back half of 2023, which left them missing T.J. Edwards from the year prior much more than they realized.
So it's important for general manager Howie Roseman to keep the Eagles as stocked as possible at linebacker, which, understandably, adds up to wanting to keep Baun.
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