PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - PHLY Eagles Podcast | Emergency Pod: Eagles add ex-Saints LB Zack Baun

Episode Date: March 11, 2024

Former third-round pick Zack Baun is coming to the Philadelphia Eagles. Zach Berman and Bo Wulf react to the third addition of the day for Howie Roseman's Eagles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And welcome back to the P.H.O. Yagles show. You know, we ended the four and a half hour stream discussing what was going to rise to the level of an emergency pod. Zach's got a basketball game to get to. He hasn't even put on his basketball clothes yet. He's still in the button down. But the Eagles have made a move. And he is here ready to go. Zach Bonn, ZB. We're going to hear a joke about the spelling of his name. You know that that's coming. But on the other side of these are, a former day two pick. What does Zach Berman think about Zach Bonn? How are you, Zach? I'm okay. Nice to see you again.

Yeah, so look, I... Did you miss me? Did I miss you? Sure. Sure, I miss me. Yeah. This is one of these moves where I need to talk to the Eagles to find out like what their expectation is of him.

If this is the linebacker move, somewhat underwhelming, he's mostly been an edge rusher in his career, right? But he's really, he's been a special teams player. He's played at least 79% of the special team snaps for the Saints the past three years. So, yeah, I mean, he was an All-American in Wisconsin, fell to the third round. But it really depends. Like, I don't think this is your pairing, obviously, with Nicoby Dean.

You know, and so I wouldn't look at it like that. If this is depth on the edge, maybe like a versatile player who helps in special teams. Yeah, that's fine, a one-year deal. But yeah, so that's kind of the way I see it, is that this is, I don't want to say it's a bad signing. It's not a move-the-needle move for me, but I don't think it's supposed to be a move-the-needle-meet.

And I have a question for you. Everybody wants to know. What do you think of the signing of Zach Bond? Good job covering your mouth when you cough. Yeah. Okay. Do you have anything to say about Zach Bond? Da Da.

Da. Da. Okay, well, there you go. Dynamite analysis. I like that. Say, say, he barely plays. Can you say? He barely plays.

There you go. Okay. Thank you, Jane Wolf. There's the analysis that you need. Thank you, Jane. Nice to see you. Yeah, good stuff from Jane. If we're tea leave reading, like, first of all, it's a one-year deal.

So this is a depth guy. If they had real hopes that this was going to be someone who was going to grow into a role for them, there would be optionality for it to be more than a one-year deal. This is like the book on him coming out was that he had pass-fresh upside, but maybe he was going to be more of a linebacker. They didn't really, you know, he didn't have the full body type to necessarily be an every down-edge player. His career in New Orleans, just looking at the snap counts without having, like, you know, crush the film. It's pretty underwhelming. He was a bit player this year. and this was by far the most he's ever played.

He played about 27% of the snaps. And you break it down on True Media just on whether he was rushing the passer or playing in coverage on those passing snaps. And it's like 78% of the time, 79 or whatever it is, he was rushing the passer. So to me, this is not a linebacker. This is an edge depth player. And I think if you want to get a little bit ahead of yourself,

it's a bit of an indication that they are changing what their expectation is body typewise on the edge in this defense under Vic Fangio. They need these guys who can do a little bit of both. And maybe that's part of the reason why Josh Sweat is on the market. He doesn't quite fit what they want to do. And then like Redick is kind of a different conversation about is he going to get what he wants? and they're sort of this is just you know this is depth for that position

and honestly like it's it is kind of nice for them to finally add a veteran who can play on special teams exactly that's that's the way I'm looking at it so yeah I think you you put it in in the right context there it's not like a Brian Bramon special teams only type move but it's it's not a move for a guy who is

look if this is if this is what Nicholas Morrill was supposed to be last year where it's a special teams guy who can contribute a bit on defense, that's fine. If he's starting games next year, that's not what you're looking for. I think Andrew has probably hit the nail on the head here as far as our work-life balance here, Zach. He says, love an emergency pod, but you're in trouble if this guy is the threshold.

Yeah. Well, look, this was an opportunity time to do an emergency pod because I just want to bring up this Brian Burns move forward. Yeah. I think we can sort of put Zach on to bed. Let's get to. Yep. So Brian Burns traded to the Giants for a second and a fifth and signs a monster deal with the Giants.

But for the Eagles purposes, obviously we can get into whether they should have been players here. But the second and a fifth is not going to in mind, right? Because you would think that Brian Burns would go for a first. And then the market for someone like Hassan Reddick or Josh Sweat would then be a second. and like a fit, that kind of thing, right? Now, I know it's not apples to apples, right? Brian Burns is a free agent. So there's no term on, now he's on the tag,

but there's no term on his deal per se, right? Whereas the case with Sweat and Reddick, you would pick up that last year of his deal, give him an extension, and you can kind of, if you give him a three-year extension, it's a four-year deal, right? But yeah, so, but this is bad news for the Eagles, if you were thinking that, well, I'll turn the floor over to you. Do you think that this affects the price for Redick and or sweat?

Yeah, I mean, we have to contextualize that it's the sixth pick of the second round, right? So it's number 38 overall. It's a top 40 pick. It's not that different from a late first that, you know, if like the chiefs were trading for Hassan Redick or something like that. But, I mean, first of all, it's a loss for the Panthers, given what they turned down for Brian Burns in the past. Yeah.

I think you're probably right that it, it's not a great sign for what those guys might get, but I still would expect it to be a mid-second or late second for those guys. Yeah. And now let me ask you this too. Let's say hypothetically, now the Eagles second is not as valuable as the giant second, but hypothetically, if you could trade a second and fifth, and then pay Brian Burns $30 million, or you can just sign,

and $30 million a year, I should say, five years, 150. Or you can sign Bryce Huff for 17 and then have 13 million to allocate elsewhere. Well, here, this is how the hell the numbers are. Would you rather Bryce Huff and Sequin Barclay or Brian Burns? That's a good question. And draft picks.

It's probably the right framing. Yeah, the draft picks makes it close. player-wise I would probably rather have Brian Burns I guess yeah it's close he's a proven

it's a much more of a proven proven commodity who you are still getting in his prime there's there's more like it's not like they got it's not like they got a great deal on Huff right

they're still paying a pretty good premium so I don't know that's a good question yeah it's one we can discuss more tomorrow. We have, well, we'll have ample time tomorrow. But I would, I would, I would rather Burns, although you're giving up a second. And, you know, in the Eagles case, well, I don't know about, you know, they, they may be a late third, right? Maybe one of their comp there or their, their, their comp picking in third, something like that.

You know, you had to see what, what I'd have to look at the chart to see what the value is. But, yeah, I mean, I said my top option would be burns. I didn't know Carolina was going to move him. And I thought if he was going to be moved, I mean, I said, number 22 overall, right? That's what I would have traded. So I was surprised to be a second and fifth. Now, it's different in the Giants case. You're not going to trade the sixth overall pick. But clearly,

this is a big move for the NFC East. And I don't think it's good news for the Eagles, given that you're probably hoping for second and fourth or something like that for Redick and or sweat. Well, and as we've been poking fun at the Giants all day, they do at least now have a pretty good

front with Dexter Lawrence and Kavon Tibado and now Brian Burns. Like that's a problem at least. That's for, yeah, that's for sure. All right. Well, you know what, Zach, you've got a game to get to. I want you to get your stretches in. I want you to drink your, I want you to hydrate.

We've got to get Julia home to say hi to be. Let's wrap it up. Well, there's, I mean, there's a very good chance. We'll be back tonight. So let's wrap up the Zach Bonn portion of the emergency podcast evening. Yeah, my quick analysis, because you tease it at the top, great initials, bad spell. Great initials, bad spelling. Yeah.

Yeah, I feel like there's something to do with Bonn, but I haven't decided where to go with that yet. But we got time to discuss that. Ample time. Ample is a good word. There you go. That'll do it for this quickie that Zach and I were able to do for all of you. We will be back whenever the news happens.

And if not before noon tomorrow, back at noon tomorrow. Remember, sign up to be a diehard on P.E. H-O-I, take a screenshot of that bad boy, and you're going to add 20 minutes to tomorrow's show. So that's very exciting. So for Zach and Julia, I'm Bo, we thank you for listening. We will talk to you later, and as always, we love you.