Eagles bringing back Derek Barnett on a two-year deal

 

This is a move that won’t make very many fans happy.

The Eagles on Thursday afternoon brought back free agent defensive end Derek Barnett on a two-year deal.

Barnett, 25, has been with the Eagles for the first five years of his career before hitting free agency earlier this month.

It seemed like the Eagles were going to let Barnett walk this offseason, but now he’s back. Perhaps the details of his contract will eventually explain why. With each passing day that Barnett lasted on the open market, the likelihood of his return grew.

Barnett was the No. 14 overall pick back in 2017 and his career has mostly been a disappointment. The guy who once broke Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee has had a hard time getting sacks in the NFL.

In fact, Barnett has just 21 1/2 sacks in his five-year career and is coming off a 2-sack season in 2021 in 16 games. Since he entered the league in 2017, Barnett is 67th in the NFL in sacks and has never had more than 6 1/2 in any season.

Aside from his lack of production, Barnett has also become a headache for fans and coaches thanks to his overwhelming amount of penalties. In 64 career games, Barnett has committed 25 penalties, including 10 personal fouls.

Barnett has also dealt with injuries in his career. While he is a very tough player, he’s had to fight through plenty of ailments as an undersized 259-pound defensive end.

So ... why would the Eagles bring him back?

It’s very possible that Barnett’s price began to drop and he couldn’t find a big deal on the open market. And as disappointing as he’s been during his career, we have seen flashes from him. Barnett was a role player on the Super Bowl team as a rookie.

Really, he’s not a bad player, just an underachieving one. And his 76 quarterback hits rank him second behind Fletcher Cox on the Eagles since 2017. The Eagles can probably convince themselves that there's still upside with him.

Because he entered the league at a young age, he won’t even turn 26 until June. So he theoretically has time to continue to improve as an NFL pass rusher.

So we're talking about a 25-year-old NFL player with five years of experience under his belt who has shown some promise. If he had been on another team, you'd think a lot more of the Barnett signing. The problem is that in Philly, we've seen all of his shortcomings and we've seen him underachieve.

By bringing Barnett back, the Eagles add him to a defensive line that includes Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams and newcomer Haason Reddick, who is listed as a linebacker but will primarily be used as a pass rusher.

Barnett has been a starter when healthy the last three seasons. Will that continue in 2022? We’ll see what it looks like hopefully in OTAs.

Here’s an updated look at all the Eagles’ free agents from the 2021 season and we’re they’ve landed:

Hassan Ridgeway: 49ers

Anthony Harris: Eagles

Boston Scott: Eagles

Alex Singleton: Broncos

Fletcher Cox: Eagles

Derek Barnett: Eagles

Rodney McLeod:

Steven Nelson:

Ryan Kerrigan:

Genard Avery:

Jordan Howard:

Jason Croom:

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/2022-nfl-free-agency-eagles-re-sign-de-derek-barnett-two-year-deal

I would have liked to see him go and be replaced either with another FA or a draft pick. They need more production out of him and I sadly feel they won't get it

2 hours ago, Wormlegs said:

I would have liked to see him go and be replaced either with another FA or a draft pick. They need more production out of him and I sadly feel they won't get it

I grew tired of all the boneheaded plays too.  I can only think though that IF we were able to sign him to a super team friendly deal, then perhaps it isn't a bad move for depth purposes (and insurance policy in case Graham suffers a setback in his recovery). 
 

Regardless, having re-signed him should not have any impact on draft plans.  Prior to bringing him back I felt the odds of using one of our day 1 picks was almost 100% ... I still believe that.  It is a strong DL class ... they'd be stupid to not take advantage of that.  

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

I grew tired of all the boneheaded plays too.  I can only think though that IF we were able to sign him to a super team friendly deal, then perhaps it isn't a bad move for depth purposes (and insurance policy in case Graham suffers a setback in his recovery). 
 

Regardless, having re-signed him should not have any impact on draft plans.  Prior to bringing him back I felt the odds of using one of our day 1 picks was almost 100% ... I still believe that.  It is a strong DL class ... they'd be stupid to not take advantage of that.  

Hell yes! Whether it was a lack of focus or over aggression his part, those stupid penalties all year long could have been resolved early on. I hope it doesnt alter their draft or FA plans and try to upgrade the position. If Barnett is coming cheap and gets demoted to a backup, I would consider it a win. If he starts and delivers the same crap as years before, then its a set back

Any price for Barnett is too much and that is my issue with this move. 

Looking forward to another season of mindless, key penalties committed at the worst possible moments.