If there was any lingering doubt about Zack Baun’s 2024 breakout, 2025 wiped it away.
Baun didn’t make a second straight All-Pro team, but he still earned another Pro Bowl nod and remained a major force in his second season with the Eagles under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. At 29, he’s heading into 2026 with a bigger role, a bigger voice, and plenty of reason to believe there’s still another level to reach.
During OTAs, Baun talked about how much his game has expanded inside Fangio’s system.
“I’ve grown a lot as a player, especially in this scheme,” Baun said during OTAs. “Learning where I can make plays, where are the weaknesses of the defense, who’s dropping where, who to communicate to.
If communication needs to go from a safety down to an outside backer, if it’s not clear or I don’t hear it, I make sure that the D-line gets that communication. Being able to implement myself in ways that is outside of my position and my realm has really been cool.”
The numbers back up the impact. In 2024, Baun started 16 games and piled up 151 tackles, including 93 solo, with 3 1/2 sacks, one interception, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, five quarterback hits and an opponent quarterback rating of 80.5. In 2025, he again started 16 games and posted 123 tackles, including 64 solo, with 3 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, five quarterback hits and an opponent quarterback rating of 64.5.
Baun’s importance only grows with Nakobe Dean gone. Dean signed a three-year deal this offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Eagles are turning to second-year linebacker Jihaad Campbell to step into that MIKE role. Campbell showed promise as a rookie and checked in at No. 19 on this list, but there’s still uncertainty about what Year 2 will look like for him.
That puts even more on Baun’s plate.
The Eagles rewarded him after his 2024 season with a three-year, $51 million extension, but the final year of guaranteed money on that deal comes in 2026. Another strong season could set him up for another extension from the Birds next offseason.
Even if that doesn’t happen, Baun looks like a cornerstone piece for this defense. He’s one of the oldest players on the unit, he wore a C in 2025, and he’s now one of the clearest leaders in the room. With Dean out, the Eagles will need that kind of presence to keep the defense steady.
“I feel like we have a lot of guys that can take over the leadership,” Baun said. “ Obviously, he was a big part.
But we have a lot of guys. Jordan Davis, myself, Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell.
All the starters can take ownership and that leadership in the locker room, on the field, and take charge just as Nakobe did.”
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