The Philadelphia Eagles‘ defence didn’t just show up last season—they shut things down. They trampled every single offence they came up against. It felt like in his very first season, Vic Fangio, the offensive coordinator, had cracked the code. From exquisite pass rushes to lockdown secondaries, the defence felt like a well-oiled machine. But the fans can’t help but wonder, can the same energy survive in 2025?

After a pretty much complete overhaul of the defensive roster, how will Fangio adjust his structure? Who will be at the heart of it all? There’s one name that comes to mind. While caution seeps across the fanbase, Zack Baun is sending a completely different message.

In a recent appearance on the Exciting Mics podcast, “I feel like we’re miles ahead of where we were last year,” he said. And after the season he had last year, I think we should listen to him.

Last year, he balled out. 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and even a pick to top it off. And it wasn’t just the numbers—his 90.1 PFF grade and a ridiculous 91.6 coverage weren’t just good, he led every single linebacker in the league. Those performances deservedly handed him the Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods.

He’ll only get better, and he knows it. “I’m driven internally to just be the best at whatever I do. And obviously watching tape from last year, like I had 150 tackles or whatever, but I missed 29 of them. I could have had this, or I dropped this, or I could’ve punched out the ball here. There’s always stuff to be better at” he added.

Baun’s impact goes way beyond the stats—it’s about the culture he sets. He showed up on a ‘prove it’ one-year, $4 million deal, and that turned into a $51 million bag over three years. And he deserves it. The Eagles saw the work ethic, the leadership, and the reliability that Vic Fangio craves. With everything shifting around, he has now become the guy they simply have to keep around.

Regardless, for all of Baun’s confidence, there’s no sugarcoating it—this Eagles defence is walking into uncharted waters. Vic Fangio might have his tone-setter in Baun, but that doesn’t erase the fact that most of their core defenders are out the door. Continuity? Out the window. And now that Baun’s become the guy, the pressure ratchets up. He’s not just helping shape the solution—he is the solution.

And he’ll have to step up big time. Because this season? It’s different. In a puzzle where every single piece was pivotal, the Eagles have lost pretty much all of them. How do the Eagles replicate what they did last season without the missing pieces? What if last season was magic, and they already used all of it up?

The Eagles have lost 9 key players

When a defence sets your tone for the entire season, losing just one starter can shift tides. As for the Eagles? They’ve lost a lot more than that. Since last season, the Eagles fans have seen nine departures. Yes, nine. They’ve lost Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Oren Burks, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Brandon Graham, Avonte Maddox, and Bryce Huff. So yes, come September, Vic Fangio won’t be starting from zero; he will be starting from minus nine.

Eagles had the number one defence last season, and it’s not arguable. When Fangio came in, the first change he made? Higher emphasis on physicality, more padded practice. If you’ve followed him long enough, you would know he’s all about physicality. This change resulted in a 10-2 record for the Eagles and eight straight wins at the start of last season.

Let’s talk stats. It is not about the fact they they won, it is about how they won. They led the NFL in total defence last season, allowing just 278.4 yards per game—the 7th time in the franchise’s history they’ve topped that list. What makes it even crazier? They had the league’s rushing champ on offence and the No. 1 defence.

Eagles’ pass D was elite (to say the least)—allowing only 174.2 yards allowed per game through the air. Consequently, they finished first in points allowed per game (16.8)—their best since 2008. Now throw in the league best 39% three-and-out rate and 18 forced fumbles, and you’re looking at a defence that dominated on every level. More than just a defence, Fangio built a takeaway machine.

And as we edge closer to the season, Vic Fangio has less and less time to work out the defensive structure for the season. But if last season told us anything, he probably has it all figured out.