Former Wisconsin Football All-American Signs With NFC East Team

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing former Wisconsin football linebacker Zack Baun to a one-year deal coming off a solid season with the Saints. 

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Baun signing, although the contract details still haven’t emerged on Spotrac. 

Saints free-agent LB Zack Baun plans to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024

The Saints drafted Baun in the third round (No. 74 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft from the Wisconsin football program. During his tenure with the Saints, Baun appeared in 62 games, including 14 starts, and became a significant contributor on special teams while providing rotational depth.

Baun, now 27, is listed as a linebacker but possesses a hybrid skill set. He demonstrates versatility as both an off-ball linebacker and an outside linebacker, specializing in pass rushing when playing on the line.

In 2023, Baun exhibited promising signs as a pass rusher, registering his first two career sacks, 15 pressures, and four quarterback hits, primarily operating on the defensive line. Pro Football Focus data indicates that the former Wisconsin Badgers standout logged a career-high 301 defensive snaps and earned a 71.1 grade.

Wisconsin Football LB Zack Baun Carving Out a Nice NFL Career

In 2019, Baun’s remarkable season with the Wisconsin football team earned him recognition as a Butkus Award finalist, Bednarik Award semifinalist, and consensus first-team All-American by prestigious organizations such as FWAA and Walter Camp.

Additionally, Baun secured second-team All-American honors from AFCA, AP, and Sporting News, along with first-team All-Big Ten honors by consensus. Notably, the West Bend native became the first consensus first-team All-America linebacker in Wisconsin Badgers history.

During his standout senior season in 2019, Baun racked up 12.5 sacks, the third-highest single-season total in school history. He played a pivotal role in leading the Badgers to a single-season school record of 51 sacks as a team.

In total, he played in 39 games with 27 starts at outside linebacker, starting all 27 games for Wisconsin football in his final two seasons. During this time, he amassed an impressive total of 154 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

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