When the Philadelphia Eagles signed linebacker Zack Baun this past offseason, the former 2020 third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints was seen as nothing more than a potential depth piece.
To state that Baun has exceeded expectations would be putting things as lightly as humanly possible.
Simply put, he should be one of the favorites to take home the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. In simplest terms, he's been the best player on the best defense in the league, which oftentimes is enough, but his case goes much further than that.
It's time for this Eagles defender, Zack Baun, to get proper national recognition. It's unfortunate that
It's hard to be better than Zack Baun has been so far this season. His resume is better than former NFL greats who won the DPOY Award following tremendous seasons.
Luke Kuechly’s first 14 games of 2013 DPOY season:
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) December 19, 2024
2 sacks, 122 tackles (79 solo 43 assisted), 8 TFL, 3 INTs, 6 PD
Zack Baun in #Eagles first 14 games:
3.5 sacks, 134 tackles (85 solo 49 assisted) 9 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 FR
Idk who needs to see this but I hope it finds them well pic.twitter.com/sEUhlMUa0n
That should open a lot of people's eyes nationally to tell you the truth. Kuechly is seen as a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker. His lone Defensive Player of the Year award is one of the most prominent notches on his belt.
Also read: The one quality the Eagles possess that other true Super Bowl contenders don't
By the numbers, the award very well could (and maybe should) belong to Baun. As of this story's writing, the odds-on favorite is T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He, all of a sudden, finds himself a little banged up after his trip to Philadelphia.
Denver Broncos Patrick Surtain has the second-best odds on many sportsbooks. Baun is so far down the list you usually have to expand it on most sites.
That's disrespectful.
It's beyond comprehension that he isn't being discussed among the favorites. Numbers aren't needed to figure this out. All one needs to do is watch the game film.
Zack Baun has one of the strongest cases for being in the discussion for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Unfortunately, if he isn't seated at the table, winning will be difficult.