The Philadelphia Eagles may have to consider trading one of their key defensive players over the past several years.
As suggested by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Eagles “should” consider trading defensive end Derek Barnett. Due to Philadelphia’s abundance of quality defensive linemen, Barnett is now “expendable” after missing almost the entire 2022 season because of a torn ACL.
Why the Eagles Could Trade Derek Barnett
“It’s a numbers game here, and the Eagles have talented edge-rushers in Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat,” writes Knox. “They also added Georgia pass-rusher Nolan Smith in the first round of April’s draft. To put it bluntly, Barnett is expendable, but if he’s fully recovered from the knee injury, he could have some value to a team with less depth on the edge. There’s a very real chance that he won’t make the regular-season roster this year, and he’ll be a free agent in 2024 anyway.”
With Barnett possibly on the outside looking in, the Eagles may find it more beneficial to trade the veteran defensive end rather than outright releasing him. While a possible Barnett trade may only net Philadelphia a late-round draft pick, it’s better than releasing the former first-round draft pick without receiving anything in return.
Barnett currently has one year left on his deal after signing a three-year, $15.2 million deal with the Eagles.
Prior to his ACL injury in 2022, Barnett had served as a starter since the 2018 season, starting 45 of 49 games during that time frame. While Barnett was never a dominant sack artist, he was a steady contributor over the years, posting 16.5 sacks during those four seasons.
According to Pro Football Focus, Barnett posted at least a 61.8 defensive grade every season — except for the 2019 season — since his rookie year in 2017. Simply put, that’s steady and reliable play that most teams covet in a pass-rushing specialist.
As Knox notes, the Eagles have proven to function at an extremely high level without Barnett. The 2022 defensive unit racked up 70 sacks, the second-most amount of team sacks in a single season in NFL history.
“While the Eagles could welcome back Barnett with open arms, they showed last year that the defense is fine without him,” writes Knox. “Philly recorded 70 sacks during the regular season, ranked second in yards allowed and reached the Super Bowl.”
Eagles ‘Refuse’ to Give Up on Derek Barnett: Analyst
This isn’t the first time an analyst has suggested the Eagles move on from Barnett. Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice recently suggested the Eagles trade Barnett in exchange for a “small return.”
“The Eagles have four edge rushers ahead of Barnett in Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith,” writes Kempski. “Barnett has a base salary of $1,080,000, so he’d be a cheap player for any new team to acquire. So, sure, if he eventually passes a physical and shows that he is healthy in the preseason, I could see him getting dealt for some small return.”
However, it appears Philadelphia not quite ready to move on from their seventh-year defensive end, as reported by Derrick Gunn of JAKIB Sports.
“Derek Barnett is still here for a reason because they refuse to give up on him,” said Gunn. “They believe Barnett has potential to improve and be a better player for this organization.”
While Barnett may still be a solid player, the Eagles’ abundance of quality players along their front seven may make it hard for him to find significant playing time this season.
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Eagles Urged to Trade Former $15 Million Starter Due to ‘Numbers Game’