Smh. Allen basically said he was never getting that chance as a Saint. Allen said they saw him as a special teamer, OLB, and pass rusher. He was not in competition with Davis because in Allen's view they played different positions because of different skill sets. You could just as well argue he didn't get a chance to play safety because the Saints had starting safeties already, smh. The only reason he was ever on the depth chart behind Davis was because LBers who make the team are always listed as depth for the other LB positions.
Zack Baun, while with the New Orleans Saints, was primarily developed as an outside linebacker and edge rusher. I religiously follower Saints camps and practices. Reports from various Saints training camps indicate that he worked in positions geared towards edge and outside linebacker roles. There is no evidence of him being considered for anything else. If someone can produce any evidence that he ever practiced any where inside, I'll relent. But based on my memory, what I've been able to dig through the pass couple days, there's no proof of this argument being made.
If the coach is telling you that you're an OLB/pass rusher and core special teamer, you're never playing MLB for that coach. It wasn't that we already had a starter, it was that there was NEVER going to be a path to MLB in New Orleans as long as Allen was here. I don't understand how you can argue against Allen's own statement on the matter.
https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/05/e...coach-thought-he-was-best.html?outputType=amp
And true to his word, that's where Baun practiced as a Saint. There's no proof that he was ever considered for MLB role. None.