The Philadelphia Eagles should be an exciting team during the 2026 NFL season. Philadelphia brought in a new offensive coordinator which should have the offense looking quite different this fall. One Eagles defensive player will be doing his best to put the offense in favorable positions throughout the upcoming season.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released a list of the top 10 linebackers in the NFL ahead of the new season. ESPN sourced information from executives, scouts, and coaches from around the league to create their rankings.
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun took a slight fall in ESPN's list, dropping to fourth place. Baun finished in third place during the same exercise last offseason.
But this time, Baun joined Fred Warner as the only two linebackers who appeared on every voter's ballot.
“Baun is one of the league's great success stories. Once a part-time player, he parlayed an All-Pro season in Philadelphia into a three-year, $51 million deal during the 2025 offseason,” Fowler wrote. “His most recent season showed he was no fluke, producing a second consecutive Pro Bowl performance. Baun was one of two linebackers to appear on every top-10 ballot.”
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Baun did not have the same level of success that he did in 2024. But he was still an incredibly consistent force in the middle of Philadelphia's defense. He finished the regular season with 123 total tackles, three-and-a-half sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Baun also showed off his coverage skills with seven passes defensed and four interceptions.
“He's got lateral quickness and is an incredibly smart player,” an NFL personnel evaluator said, per Fowler. “He's perfect for Vic's [Fangio] scheme, can play close to the line and get pressure or can play off the ball.”
The Eagles will be counting on the 29-year-old linebacker to be a key piece of their defense once again this fall.
It will be exciting to see how Philadelphia looks at the start of training camp, which kicks off later this month on July 28th.
The Philadelphia Eagles should be an exciting team during the 2026 NFL season. Philadelphia brought in a new offensive coordinator which should have the offense looking quite different this fall. One Eagles defensive player will be doing his best to put the offense in favorable positions throughout the upcoming season.