In the first five years of his career, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun has never been a leader on any of the defenses he's played on.
That is about to change.
The Eagles saw the departures of several of their defensive leaders from last season. Cornerback Darius Slay is in Pittsburgh, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded to Houston, and edge rusher Brandon Graham retired.
There's a hole in the team's leadership room on defense.
The organization hopes Baun will step into that role. Throughout offseason workouts, the All-Pro was getting used to it.
"It's kind of different for me," Baun said. "Obviously, I'm a quiet guy. I kinda don't say much and try to keep things to myself naturally. I'm more of a lead-by-example type guy, but as I feel more comfortable towards the guys in the locker room - I feel more natural talking to everyone and being that more vocal leader now."
With fellow linebackers like Jihaad Campbell and Nakobe Dean recovering from injuries, Baun - in a major ask - will need to do more than just be an All-Pro in 2025. He'll need to produce on the field but help keep the unit afloat from a leadership perspective.
Philadelphia is counting on him to be the kind of leader many legends have been in past years.
If Baun can meet those demands, the Eagles unit should not miss a beat in their work toward a Super Bowl title defense.