September 14, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Zack Baun tormented the Commanders all game in Week 1, leading the Eagles' defense with 12 tackles.
"I wanted that one," Eagles linebacker Zack Baun said Sunday, standing at his locker.
More than an hour had passed since the Birds hung on to beat the Commanders in Week 1, a 24-22 win that revealed some warts on offense and defense but generally felt good enough over an NFC East rival. Popular '80s tune "Your Love" by The Outfield blared through the speakers.
The clinching play came from defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, who corralled John Bates on a tricky shovel pass a few yards shy of the end zone, stopping a two-point conversion with 61 seconds to play that would've tied the game.
But almost all of the prior momentum-changing stops had come from Baun. He had made 12 tackles. He had broken up two passes. He generally made life miserable for Washington's offense all game.
So it's somewhat ironic that the veteran linebacker was lamenting the one play he didn't make.
In the second quarter, Baun found himself about 15 yards downfield, supplying tight coverage against Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo along the right sideline.
He leaped to bring in the Jayden Daniels pass while body shielded Okonkwo away, but couldn't stay inbounds.
I know it’s out of bounds, but what an athletic play by Baun pic.twitter.com/nhT40ReWFp
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) September 13, 2026
Would have been one heck of an interception, but Baun couldn't stick the landing.
"I wanted that one," he said. "I knew my feet weren't inbounds, but I was gonna try anyway."
Jihaad Campbell, the Eagles' other starting linebacker, was nearby at the same sideline. He watched with anticipation as Baun nearly flipped the field for the Birds defense.
"I ain't gonna lie, when he caught that little pick, I was like, 'Whoa,'" Campbell marveled. "They ruled it out, but when he caught the ball, he had one foot in, and I was like, 'That was a play!'"
That Baun in his third season with Eagles and seventh overall can still wow his teammates is fairly remarkable, but also strangely part of his unusual rise from obscure special teamer and rotational edge defender in New Orleans to an absolute superstar in Philly.
In his short time with the Eagles, he has made the Pro Bowl twice, All Pro once and become a Super Bowl champion. Despite the down-to-down consistency that has elevated him to among the top at his position, Baun still finds ways to make teammates marvel as if they are never ceased to be amazed by him.
"He's an All Pro, man," Campbell said "There ain't really nothing to explain. He does it day by day. He leads by example. He's just a great example of what – not even just a linebacker – but an excellent player."
The Commanders, adapting to a new offensive play caller, moved the ball lethargically for much of the first half. They have Baun to blame, and the Eagles have him to thank, for a good portion of that.
On the Washington possession before Baun's near interception, Baun almost single-handedly stalled the drive himself, starting with a nifty ankle tackle on Jacory Croskey-Merritt just before the lightning-quick running back could explode past the second level.
Two plays later, Baun jumped in front of a pass to four-time Pro Bowl wideout Stefon Diggs to get his hand on the ball for one of his two breakups. On the very next snap, he outfoxed a 324-pound lineman to blow up a screen seven yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Zack Baun is such a cerebral player. He sniffs this one out with ease. pic.twitter.com/AWpXTHIJm4
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) September 13, 2026
"I'm just out there playing the game," Baun said. "I'm reading my keys. Those three plays came up and I had good instincts on them."
Remember, the Eagles had little to no tape to study on first-year Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough, and therefore not a strong grasp of the plays Washington would run.
Blough was former Commanders coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's assistant for two seasons, but the former Lions backup quarterback implemented concepts this offseason that were closer to the coach he played for in Detroit, Ben Johnson, than Kingsbury's.
Johnson is now head coach of the Bears, who scored 59 points in Week 1. Blough's offense didn't quite reap the same results.
Zack Baun #53 of the Philadelphia Eagles tackles Jacory Croskey-Merritt #22 of the Washington Commanders during a NFL game between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
"It did make it complicated," Baun said, an almost ironic admission given his stonewalling of the Washington offense. "His history, his background, he's been there a couple of a years, so are they gonna run Commanders stuff, [Kliff] Kingsbury stuff? He was with Ben Johnson with the Lions, so is he going to run Bears stuff? It all came down to fundamentals and technique and having good eyes."
After halftime, Baun continued to torment Blough's best play calls. On the first Commanders third down in the third quarter, Daniels found running back Richaad White in the flat for a short gain that threatened to become a first down after White escaped a tackle.
Just before White could get the one final yard he needed for first down, he got tripped up.
Baun had chased him down from behind, coming from out of nowhere. Washington punted.
"It's obvious every day, I think, what he does for our defense," defensive back Cooper DeJean said. "He's the leader on our team for a reason."
"He's focused, locked in, those are the types of plays that he makes and we know he's going to make them," DeJean later added. "We got a lot of confidence in him, and that's why he's in the middle of our defense running the show. He sees things really fast and makes a lot of plays."
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