Eagles' Zack Baun Did What No Other Defender Could In 2025

When looking at the Philadelphia Eagles' roster, it's easy to talk about guys like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, or DeVonta Smith.

They lead the team's offense and there's a lot of flash involved with the play. But they aren't the only guys who make this team move. The Eagles' offense has taken a lot of heat this season and arguably the biggest reason why they are where they are right now is because of the play of the defense. Now, it's a team sport. It takes everyone. That's true and can't be ignored. The Eagles could give up zero points, but need the offense to score to win. On the flip side, the Eagles could score 30 points, but that doesn't matter if they give up 35 points.

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You need both sides of the brain working together and the Eagles are fortunate to have star power on both sides of the ball. On the defensive side, Zack Baun remains one of the team's biggest feel-good stories.

The Eagles have a star on their hands

Nov 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) blocks Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Baun is a guy who came over to Philadelphia with little fanfare before the 2024 season. He was a role player with the New Orleans Saints and became a first-team All-Pro in his first season in Philadelphia and landed a lucrative new deal. Baun hasn't taken his foot off the gas by any means as well. In fact, Baun was the only player in the National Football League this season with 120-plus tackles, three-plus sacks, and three-plus takeaways this season, per the team.

The ONLY NFL player with 120+ tackles, 3.0+ sacks, and 3+ takeaways. Playoff Zack Baun incoming 😈 pic.twitter.com/oXdWt8U15r
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 9, 2026

The 29-year-old earned his second straight Pro Bowl nod this season and should be in line for another All-Pro as well. He's the fifth-highest graded linebacker in football, per PFF, at 83.9 among the 87 qualified linebackers.

Overall, Baun played in 16 regular-season games and had two interceptions, seven passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three 1/2 sacks, and 123 total tackles on the season. Another phenomenal year, and the Eagles are going to need more in the playoffs.

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