Zack

Baun

Shipley should resume No. 2 running back duties and can be stashed as a high-upside player in re-draft formats. Stud RT Lane Johnson (stinger) practiced in full on Thursday and Friday. The Eagles lost star OLB Nolan Smith (triceps) to injured reserve earlier this week. He will be eligible to return after missing four games. They got good news on LB Zack Baun (knee), LB Jihaad Campbell (triceps) and backup QB Tanner McKee (right thumb), though. All three are good to go. Unfortunately, CB Adoree’ Jackson (groin) is doubtful.

Baun, LB Jihaad Campbell (triceps) and Adoree’ Jackson (groin) all took the day off on Wednesday, which was slightly alarming given the Eagles’ other defensive injuries. Eagles OLB Nolan Smith (triceps) and CB Jakorian Bennett were placed on injured reserve yesterday. Baun, Campbell and Jackson should all be good to go for Week 4, barring setbacks.

Baun missed Wednesday with a knee issue, his first instance of an injury in 2025. Also out on Wednesday were LB Jihaad Campbell (triceps) and Adoree’ Jackson (groin). The Eagles’ front seven has been driven by Baun and Campbell’s contributions and absences in Week 4 would leave the middle of the field open for the Buccaneers. If Jackson misses time, Kelee Ringo is next in line for opportunities.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Baun’s deal includes $34 million guaranteed and $1.5 million in incentives and escalators. Baun joined Philly on a one-year, $3.5 million contract last year. It proved to be one of many lucrative moves made by the Philly front office during the offseason. Baun led the Eagles with 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 TFLs and five forced fumbles. The veteran linebacker finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was one of the biggest reasons the Philadelphia defense returned to form after imploding in 2023. Needless to say, the Eagles weren’t going to let Baun anywhere near free agency. Now the reigning Super Bowl champions have him locked up through the 2027 season.

Baun was a first-team All Pro and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting as, essentially, a lightly-regarded free agent pickup in the 2024 offseason. The Eagles have been up front about how even they didn’t expect things to turn out this way for Baun — if they did, maybe they would have thought to build in a second year to the contract. Roseman said, when asked about how the team hasn’t traditionally valued linebacker: “To put us in a box and say...we’re not going to pay because we historically have not done that, part of what we do is evolve. We look at things and see how they’re affecting the team, see how they’re affecting the league, and our place in that.” Baun’s lack of track record might give teams some pause, but entering his age-29 season it’s hard to not call him the most impactful defender in free agency this offseason.

Baun was held out of Friday’s practice last week but returned for three full sessions this week. A day after finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Baun is all clear with Super Bowl LIX two days away. Baun has been a breakout star for Philly, leading the team in tackles (151) while finishing second on the roster in TFLs (11) during the regular season.

Fantastic news. Baun gave Eagles fans a scare when he appeared on last Friday’s injury report as a non-participant, but his full return indicates his groin issue was mild. The star linebacker can safely be expected to suit up this weekend.

This is a situation to monitor closely. Baun leads all Eagles defenders in both solo tackles (136) and tackles for loss or no gain (19). The star linebacker has a little over a week to rehab the injury. Next week’s injury report should help clarify the injury’s severity.

A 2020 third-rounder, Baun is mostly a space-filling situational pass rusher whose only two career sacks came in 2023. Already headed into his age-28 campaign, he’s not a projectable flier for a retooling Eagles defense.

A former Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Year winner for his dual-threat quarterbacking as a senior at Brown Deer High, Baun (6’2/238) buoyed that athleticism into consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors with 73 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks (second only to Ohio State’s Chase Young) as a redshirt senior. Baun was deployed in a hybrid edge role with the Badgers but will likely transition as an off-ball outside linebacker given his smaller frame and elite explosiveness, including an unprecedented 99th-percentile 10-yard split (1.54 seconds) and 4.65 40-time. “You’re talking about a defensive end playing inside linebacker...That’s a whole different world,” one anonymous scout said. Baun admittedly needs more technical refinement to be a truly impactful player at the next level, but he’s versatile enough to open the year as a rotational player immediately.