Zack Baun’s last name rhymes with yawn, and that was pretty much the reaction a year ago when the Philadelphia Eagles signed him as a free agent out of New Orleans.
The guy was a special-teamer with the Saints who agreed to a one-year deal to play linebacker for the Eagles, and he quickly transitioned into a centerpiece of that championship defense.
The Eagles backed up the Brinks truck for Baun this offseason, signing him to a three-year, $51-million extension and underscoring the notion that when it comes to free agency, you just never know.
Everyone’s fascinated by the shiny new object — and sometimes rightfully so — but often it’s the player who seemingly comes out of nowhere who is most impactful. That’s why picking winners and losers with the NFL’s annual game of musical chairs is a dicey proposition.
Remember when so much was riding on where Aaron Rodgers would sign a couple of years ago, and then the quarterback’s first season with the New York Jets lasted four snaps? Now, Rodgers is out there looking for a place to land, and no one’s overly excited about what he can do.
Same goes for quarterback Kirk Cousins, the big prize in free agency last year.
The NFL’s new league year kicked off Wednesday, and there’s been a lot of roster reshuffling that could refashion the landscape heading into the draft.
One move that impacts both the Rams and Chargers is Las Vegas trading for Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, a move orchestrated by new Raiders coach Pete Carroll. Smith had revived his career with the Seahawks and could provide the Raiders with their most stable quarterback situation since the Derek Carr days.
The Raiders looked at all sorts of potential solutions in free agency, including Rodgers, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and made a serious attempt at trading for Matthew Stafford. Presumably, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had significant influence when it came to making the decision.
That move cleared the way for Darnold to go to Seattle, reaping the benefits of his strong season in Minnesota. It remains to be seen if Darnold is a new man, or if that year with the Vikings was merely a happy aberration. He struggled mightily in a playoff loss to the Rams and was sacked nine times.
Having moved on from Wilson and Fields, Pittsburgh is ready to reboot at quarterback again. This time the job is more enticing thanks to the addition of DK Metcalf, who came by way of trade from Seattle.
In recent years the San Francisco 49ers have had bottomless pockets when it came to adding players, including along their defensive line. Now that line will look entirely different, though, with Nick Bosa the only remaining constant. He’s the proven commodity, and the other three spots are up for grabs.
The 49ers also parted ways with receiver Deebo Samuel, acquired by Washington in a trade. The Commanders also traded for Laremy Tunsil, Houston’s five-time Pro Bowl left tackle. All of that is good news for quarterback Jayden Daniels, last season’s offensive rookie of the year.
Losing Tunsil is bad news for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was sacked 52 times last season and already was playing behind a makeshift offensive line.
When Kyle Shanahan arrived to coach the 49ers in 2017, one of his big free-agent targets was fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who became a fixture in that offense, one of the NFL’s few to use a fullback. Now the 49ers have released Juszczyk — although the door isn’t completely closed on a return — and might be rounding into more of a two-tight-end look. The club could be locked in on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren in the draft.
The Rams will look different without receiver Cooper Kupp and over the weekend they traded for another All-Pro, Davante Adams, who was traded from Las Vegas to the Jets last season.
With Darnold and Daniel Jones gone from Minnesota, J.J. McCarthy has the green light to move forward as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. He sat out his rookie season recovering from knee surgery.
Like Darnold, Jones has moved on to new opportunity. Indianapolis signed him to a one-year deal in what appears to be an open competition with Anthony Richardson for the starting job.
The Chargers said goodbye to their longest-tenured player, defensive end Joey Bosa, who signed with Buffalo. Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram, who was targeted by both the Chargers and Denver, wound up signing with the Broncos.
But the Chargers did sign a couple of Steelers standouts in running back Najee Harris and cornerback Donte Jackson, who had five interceptions last season.
As Philadelphia’s Baun reminded people around the league, sometimes it’s the player most everyone overlooks who makes the monumental impact.
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