If the Denver Broncos are looking for help at linebacker, the timing could hardly be cleaner.
Philadelphia’s last 18 hours have been a jolt. First came Lane Johnson’s retirement on Tuesday evening after 14 seasons, ending the run of a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro right tackle who said he was stepping away because of mental-health issues. Then, 18 hours later, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made another stunning move by shipping All-Pro center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens for a pair of draft picks.
Jurgens is in concussion protocol and not expected back until Week 6 at the earliest. With the Eagles sitting at 2-2 and staring at games against the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars in London, the improving 2-2 Carolina Panthers, and the offensively dangerous Dallas Cowboys at 2-3, they suddenly look more like a team on the fringe than a runaway contender.
That’s why the idea of a reset in Philadelphia is starting to pick up steam. Roseman has a reputation as one of the league’s boldest front-office operators, and those two moves - along with his track record - make it fair to wonder whether he’s beginning to reshape the roster rather than double down on it.
One outlet has already taken that thought a step further and suggested Broncos general manager George Paton should be paying close attention before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. The argument is simple: if Philadelphia is willing to listen, Denver should be in the market for inside linebacker help.
“Frankly, it seems like General Manager Howie Roseman sees the writing on the wall and is kickstarting this potential rebuild, as this current era of Eagles football, which helped them win a Super Bowl in 2024, is now about over,” Scataglia writes. “For the Broncos, they could benefit from this if the Eagles are willing to listen to trade offers....Simply put, the Broncos have a bad group of linebackers at the moment, and if the Eagles are indeed trending toward being sellers at the deadline, the front office needs to do whatever it takes....” to improve the inside linebacker position.
The Broncos’ own numbers help explain why this idea has legs. Through four games, Denver’s defense is only middle of the pack in points allowed and takeaway/giveaway ratio, checking in 18th in both categories, while its 28th ranking in yards allowed is much more alarming. The pass rush, which was so relentless last season with 68 sacks - just four shy of the 1984 Chicago Bears’ NFL record of 72 - has produced only eight sacks so far.
Alex Singleton has done his part. He leads the team with 47 total tackles, including 22 solo stops and 25 assists. But the other starting inside linebacker, Justin Strnad, has only 19 tackles, which ranks fifth on the unit.
That’s where Zack Baun comes in. Scataglia pointed to the 29-year-old as a possible target, and the fit is obvious enough. Baun entered the league in 2020 as a third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns before being traded to the New Orleans Saints, where Sean Payton was coaching at the time.
He started 14 of 62 games for New Orleans from 2020 to 2023 before signing with Philadelphia ahead of the 2024 season. The move inside paid off in a big way.
Baun piled up 151 tackles in 2024, earned First Team All-Pro honors, finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. He followed that with 123 tackles in 2025, which got him to the Pro Bowl, and he already has 25 tackles in three games this season - six more than Strnad has in four.
Baun missed Philadelphia’s Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams because of a concussion, but he was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and is trying to be ready for Sunday’s game in London against the Jaguars.
His contract also makes him worth monitoring. It runs for two more years, but the base salaries are under $1.4 million per season, with signing and option bonuses that keep the deal manageable under the cap. For a Broncos team with a clear need at inside linebacker, that kind of profile is hard to ignore if Philadelphia decides to sell.
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