Credit where it’s due: Zack Baun is flying high with the Philadelphia Eagles. The former New Orleans Saints draft pick switched teams in free agency, and the decision has paid off. Baun just earned recognition as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

Baun was an integral part of the Eagles’ dismantling of the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys; he had 8 total tackles (3 solo, with a tackle for loss) plus two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in their 34–6 victory. So why didn’t he put up those kinds of numbers in New Orleans?

For starters, the Saints didn’t really have a plan in mind when they made the move for Baun in 2020. To move from No. 88 to No. 74 (and regain a seventh rounder in the process), the Saints traded their third rounder in 2021, which ultimately landed at No. 91. And once they acquired Baun, they didn’t know what to do with him. He weighed 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, which was too light for Dennis Allen to line up on the defensive end where Baun lined up in college. The coaching staff and scouting department were not on the same page.

They tried to teach him to drop back into coverage and work in space over the next few years, but Allen and his coaching staff never developed much confidence in him. After trading up to draft him, the Saints selected another linebacker in both 2021 (Pete Werner, at No. 60) and 2022 (D’Marco Jackson, at No. 161). He never got a chance in New Orleans and played nearly twice as many snaps on special teams (1,293) as he did on defense (660) during his 62-game Saints career.

Now the Saints are looking for answers at linebacker. Demario Davis isn’t getting any younger and the injury bug bit him earlier this year. Pete Werner signed a contract extension this summer, but has not yet proven that he can stay on the field. The Saints had already decided Baun couldn’t be part of their solution, but the Eagles have figured out how to get the most out of him. Now we have to wait and see how New Orleans will develop further.