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The Philadelphia Eagles are moving on from a former first-round draft pick.
As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday, November 24, the Eagles are waiving defensive end Derek Barnett.
“Eagles are waiving DE Derek Barnett today, per sources,” writes Schefter. “The 14th overall pick of the 2017 Draft is expected to draw interest and find a new home soon.”
Eagles Release Derek Barnett After He Was Involved in Trade Rumors
The move comes after Barnett’s name had been involved in trade rumors leading into roster cutdown day at the end of the preseason and before the trade deadline in October. While Barnett had been given permission to seek a trade as early as August, no move followed and the veteran remained a member of the roster heading into the season.
However, it’s been rough sailing for Barnett this season. Not only has he barely seen any playing time — just 99 defensive snaps — he’s registered just three tackles in eight appearances. The end appeared to be near after Barnett was ruled out for the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to personal reasons.
While Barnett had served as a full-time starter between 2018 and 2021, a torn ACL in the season opener of the 2022 season led to him never regaining his role as a member of the defensive line rotation. In his absence, the Eagles not only advanced to the Super Bowl, they posted one of the best single seasons for total sacks, finishing with 70 total sacks, third-most in NFL history.
As Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia noted shortly after Barnett’s release, the veteran registered no sacks in his remaining 15 games with the team.
“He went from rotational edge rusher to inactive and now to off the team,” writes Frank. “The Eagles on Friday released one-time 1st-round pick Derek Barnett, who had just 21 ½ sacks in 73 career games and none in his last 15 games.”
Why Teams May Try to Pick up Derek Barnett on Waivers
The 27-year-old will now go through the waiver process with less than $500K in remaining base salary, which could be intriguing to some teams looking for pass-rushing help. Furthermore, he’s in the final year of a three-year, $15 million deal he had restructured prior to the start of the 2023 season.
As Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors points out, teams may be inclined to pick up Barnett in the waiver process before he officially becomes a free agent.
“With just about every team possessing inferior D-line depth to the Eagles, Barnett should find more playing time elsewhere,” writes Robinson. “Ex-Eagles DCs reside in Arizona (Jonathan Gannon) and Cleveland (Jim Schwartz). A landing with a contender makes sense, but should a team potentially view Barnett as a multiyear option — via the exclusive negotiating rights that last until mid-March — a waiver claim to preempt a free agency situation would make sense.”
Barnett is best known for his fumble recovery following Brandon Graham’s sack of Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII that helped the team defeat the New England Patriots, 41-33.
The former No. 14 overall draft pick will end his Eagles career with 150 tackles and 21.5 sacks in 73 games and 45 appearances across seven seasons with Philadelphia.
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