Getty Eagles DE Derek Barnett recovered the game-sealing fumble in Super Bowl LII for Philadelphia.
The fact that Derek Barnett showed up as a limited participant at the first practice of training camp raised a few eyebrows. The 14th overall pick from the 2017 draft remains a hot talking point, especially as rumors of the Philadelphia Eagles trading him continue to swirl.
Barnett, who made a game-sealing play in Super Bowl LII, inked what essentially amounted to a two-year deal worth $14 million in 2022. It carries a dead cap hit of $7.2 million so it would be a surprise to see the Eagles cut him outright. But a healthy Barnett — remember, he’s coming off season-ending ACL surgery — could have trade value for a team looking to upgrade their pass rush. He has registered 21.5 sacks and 76 quarterback hits over six NFL seasons.
The trade buzz around Barnett has been robust throughout the offseason. The Athletic’s Bo Wulf thinks it “feels more likely that he’s played his last game for the team that drafted him.” That nugget was included in an article from Bleacher Report which pointed to the addition of rookie stud Nolan Smith as another indicator that Barnett’s time is up.
Alex Ballentine wrote: “The best-case scenario might be finding a trade partner who would at least give them a pick and agree to take on some of the financial obligations of Barnett’s contract.”
Eagles defensive line Madden ‘24 overalls:
90 Haason Reddick [OLB]
84 Josh Sweat [RE]
81 Fletcher Cox [DT]
80 Brandon Graham [LE]
79 Jalen Carter [DT]
79 Jordan Davis [DT]
75 Milton Williams [DT]
73 Nolan Smith [OLB]
72 Derek Barnett [RE]
Nolan Smith Putting on Clinic at Camp
The Eagles invested a first-round pick (21st overall) in linebacker Nolan Smith in the hopes of unleashing him off the edge. He’s been compared to Haason Reddick while honing his skills this summer alongside Micah Parsons and Von Miller. He looks like the real deal, with some noticeable swagger to match.
Nolan Smith reportedly “shocked” his teammates with his performance at training camp today.
In one of his first reps, Smith put Brady Russell (Eagles TE) on the ground and would’ve had a sack in an actual game.
Smith got another pressure moments later, forcing a red-zone…
Smith was one of the standouts on Day 1 of camp where he “shocked” teammates and flashed insane speed. He ran mostly with the second-team defense and forced three pressures, including what would have been a sack on one of his first reps. He also caused Marcus Mariota to fumble and tossed reserve tight end Brady Russell “aside like a rag doll” during red-zone drills.
“He’s quick, man,” Lane Johnson said. “What I like about Nolan in the little time that I’ve known him is that he works hard and he’s always positive. He kind of has that BG type attitude where he never has a bad day. He’ll learn a lot from Haason [Reddick], from [Josh] Sweat, and he’s been great so far.”
Lane Johnson was full of praise for Nolan Smith after day 1 of Eagles Training Camp 👏
Eagles Announce Kelly Green Uniforms
The Eagles have been trolling fans on Twitter in recent days about the release of the highly-anticipated kelly green uniforms. It’s been fun, and slightly unnerving, to watch them toy with everyone’s emotions. Well, the team finally announced the throwbacks will be available starting on July 31 and on sale at Fanatics on August 1.
The Eagles teased a photo of the shoulder which showed the old-school winged mascot with a football clutched in his talons. The shade of kelly green was that of the Randall Cunningham era, not the Chuck Bednarik era. No further details were given. No official images were released.
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