Derek Barnett, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2017 first-round choice, was well-liked by the organization to the end, but both parties needed a fresh start. Derek Barnett’s time with the Philadelphia Eagles has come to an end, as the team dismissed him on Friday.
With then-Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas comparing his pass-rushing skills to Terrell Suggs after the Volunteer State native shattered Reggie White’s sack records at Tennessee, Barnett, now 27, arrived in Philadelphia with high hopes and massive expectations.
When All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson saw Barnett, he compared the rusher’s ability to bend around the edge to Von Miller. However, none of that talk ever came to fruition.Barnett’s career started out promisingly as a rotational end on the 2017 Super Bowl team.
He finished his rookie season with five sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 36 QB pressures, and added a sack, two QB hits, and nine QB pressures in the playoffs, capping it off with a fumble recovery on Brandon Graham’s strip sack of Tom Brady, essentially securing the franchise’s first and only Lombardi Trophy.