1 player who shocked many fans with his Eagles debut vs. Packers

The Philadelphia Eagles put on a sloppy, yet dominating performance in their Week 1 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers last Friday.

The game ended with Eagles linebacker Zack Baun sacking Packers backup backup Malik Willis as time expired.

Baun, a new addition to the Eagles' defense this offseason, put on overall quite the show in his debut with the Birds -- something many, including myself, did not see coming from the former third-round pick.

Baun did not leave the field on defense, playing 100 percent of the snaps, and ended the game credited with a team-high 15 tackles, 2 sacks, and one tackle for loss.

What makes Baun's performance such a surprise is that he wasn't hyped enough throughout the offseason, except for when head coach Nick Sirianni, unprompted, called him at the start of training camp .

“Another new addition to our team that I think brings an element of toughness with the way he plays with his motor, with the way he strikes blocks is Zack Baun,” Sirianni said at the beginning of August. “It shows not only on the defensive side, but it also shows during special teams. Like, this guy is a tough, tough dude that plays with great detail and great passion for this game with physicality.”

We saw Baun's motor and toughness against Green Bay as he was running all over the field making plays, which is extremely encouraging to see considering the Eagles linebacker room was a weak spot last fall.

Baun was initially selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft where he had spent the last four years before joining the Eagles.

In four seasons with the Saints, Baun saw action in 62 games and made just 14 starts. He enters the 2024 season after logging 30 tackles, two sacks, and four QB hits last fall.

With his role now larger in Philly, he could be on tap for a breakout year.

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