Eagles’ Zack Baun returns to his old home with the Saints, this time as an All-Pro
Preparing for the Super Bowl, the linebacker reflected in his four formative years with New Orleans. In a new environment with the Birds, he saw his career take off this season.
NEW ORLEANS — Back in the New Orleans Saints practice facility for the first time since he was a member of the team just a year ago, all Zack Baun could smell was nostalgia.
Everything about the Eagles’ temporary practice site for the week of the Super Bowl — from the unidentifiable scent of the building to the familiar faces of the equipment staff and the athletic trainers — elicited memories of his four-year stint with the team.
Baun, the Saints’ third-round pick in the 2020 draft out of Wisconsin, said he doesn’t have any “ill will” toward the city or the organization that gave him his start in the NFL. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound inside linebacker said plenty of the memories evoked by returning to the practice facility are good ones. His son, Elian, was born in New Orleans. Baun and his wife, Ali, love the city.
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Now, Baun is looking to create another positive memory in the place where his NFL career began. But he isn’t trying to overthink his approach to the Super Bowl, a process made easier by the dozens of games he has played at the Superdome.
“It was more comforting to me knowing that I played a lot of games on that field and been in that stadium a lot of times,” said Baun, 28. “And then as far as being in the Super Bowl, just not making it as big as it is, kind of minimizing it in your mind.”
Over the last week and a half since the NFC championship game, Baun said he has thought about his journey back to New Orleans to make his first Super Bowl appearance, but he will take more time to “dive deep into it” after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Still, Baun responded to every question about why his career on defense with the Saints didn’t pan out with a healthy dose of perspective.
He primarily was an edge defender in Dennis Allen’s 4-3 scheme, but he was not solidified in his identity in the defense. Baun failed to carve out a starting role at linebacker and peaked at 27% of the defensive snaps in 2023.
“When I was here, I didn’t really know what I needed,” Baun said. “I didn’t know if I was an on-the-ball ’backer or an off-the-ball ’backer. I just knew that it didn’t necessarily feel right, and maybe I wasn’t getting it right away. But time ran its course, and I just continued to work on my craft and work on my craft and get better at all the things so that whatever opportunity came after that, I could take advantage of it.”
But Baun did not point a finger at the Saints coaching staff for being the reason his career in New Orleans didn’t work out. He said he always knew that he had the physical tools to be a “pretty good player,” but he needed to be in the right headspace and in the proper situation to reach his potential.
“I blame a lot of it on myself, in my own development,” Baun said. “Kind of getting in my own way. I had great coaches. It was a great scheme. But I kind of blame myself for getting in my own way.”
Baun found the fit he was looking for in Philadelphia. He signed a one-year, $3.5 million, prove-it deal with the Eagles in the offseason and moved to a new position at inside linebacker. After earning the starting role out of training camp, he thrived in Vic Fangio’s scheme and flashed his versatility in pass coverage, against the run, and on the blitz while rushing the passer. Baun, a first-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, finished sixth in the league with 151 tackles and ranked second in forced fumbles with five.
His production paved the way to his finalist nod for the Associated Press defensive player of the year award. Baun’s decision to bet on himself in free agency and agree to a short-term contract to compete for a defensive role over a long-term deal as a core special-teamer has panned out. Oren Burks, his running mate at inside linebacker with Nakobe Dean out for the season, could relate.
“He was in a similar situation, played special teams in Green Bay for four years, and then you could go one of two ways,” Baun said of Burks. “You can bet on yourself and sign a one- or two-year deal and say, ‘I’m going to continue and try to play linebacker.’ Or you can say, ‘I’m going to be a special-teamer.’ And we both bet on ourselves to play linebacker. It’s just not losing faith in yourself and just betting on yourself through it all.”
A “new environment” surrounded by new people in Philadelphia gave Baun a “new perspective” on his career, he said. Come Sunday, the new will intersect with the old when he takes the field for the first snap of the Super Bowl.
But the lessons Baun learned in New Orleans have long been ingrained in his mind. Four years of patience gave way to a season he had dreamed about when he entered the league.
“If you’re not where you want to be right away, don’t stop working,” Baun said. “Continue to work hard and just keep going for it.”