In Week 11, the Philadelphia Eagles took care of business on Thursday Night Football in large part because of a big game by Saquon Barkley, just enough plays from Jalen Hurts, and a near-dominant defensive effort by Vic Fangio’s defense.
Jayden Daniels never got comfortable in the pocket, Terry McLaurin was absolutely shut down by rookie phenom Quinyon Mitchell, and when the Eagles needed a play most, the name responsible for making it was more often than not Zack Baun, who turned in an exemplary effort for his new team.
Discussing how Baun helped the Eagles not just in Week 11 but during the 2024 NFL season as a whole, the Hurts told reporters after the game that he has full faith in the Wisconsin product, so much so that he even has a nickname for the free agent signee: “The Tone Setter.”
“I call [Eagles LB] Zack Baun the tone setter in that group, that linebacker group, in general. But [Eagles LB] Zack Baun, how he’s been able to come here, be a part of this team, take leadership in his role, and his actions do a lot of talking for him. That’s something that I respect a lot. And just to see how he shows up, how the physicality he plays with, how he flies to the ball, I think it’s a great fit for this city and obviously, this defensive scheme,” Hurts told reporters.
“So I just encouraged him to continue to lead that group, continue to do the work he’s doing, and everybody continue to build and feed off one another. Defense played a hell of a game again. That was my message to him. And I knew it was going to take all of us tonight, but the number one thing I was telling him was just keep it going while it’s hot. They had a great defensive showing in Dallas last week. And after a short week, they kept the party going. So just have to keep building.”
Initially signed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract, Baun might just be the best bang for your buck players in the NFL. While his next deal could be far more expensive, and Howie Roseman’s historical precedent of not paying linebackers has some fans biting their nails about his future, if Hurts is willing to bang the table for the fifth-year pro, he might just be in Philadelphia long-term, likely with a C embroidered on his jersey for good measure.
Vic Fangio explains why he wanted the Eagles to sign Zack Baun
Now, for fans in the know, the Eagles did not sign Baun to be their starting inside linebacker but instead to be a reserve edge rusher, as his contract clearly shows. No, the reason Baun is in his current role is almost exclusively because Coach Fangio saw some old New Orleans Saints tape and thought, “Oh, he can play off the ball.”
Discussing how he made what now widely looks like one of the savviest decisions of the 2024 NFL season with reporters ahead of Week 11, Fangio broke down his thought process.
“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,” Fangio told reporters.
“And [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] brought him up to me first, but he had a vision for him as a backup outside linebacker/special teams demon. And after I watched it, I said no, I think he’s an inside linebacker. Luckily it hit.”
And the rest, as they say, is history; Baun currently ranks third in the NFL in overall defensive PFF grade and ranks second in coverage, with his 91.3 grade the best the Eagles have had at the position in years. With Fangio locked in as the Eagles’ DC for the foreseeable future, noting that he plans to retire as a member of the team when his run is done, locking up Baun as one of the linebacking leaders of the defense feels borderline paramount to Philadelphia’s success long-term.
