The Philadelphia Eagles have made their decision on this former first-round pick.
According to Eagles reporter Jeff McLane, the Eagles exercised the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of defensive end Derek Barnett, who was taken at No. 14 overall in 2017.
Even though Barnett’s numbers do not make any heads turn, the Eagles clearly believe that he is a key component of the front seven moving forward. Entering the 2020 season, the depth chart features Brandon Graham,j Josh Sweat, and Shareef Miller.
There’s plenty of reason to believe that Barnett can make the front seven. Graham is 33 and entering his final season with the team. Picking up the 23-year olds seems to be the veteran’s most likely successor.
In three seasons, Barnett has made 20 starts in 35 games. He has a combined 67 tackles, 14.0 sacks, 49 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles. He has missed 12 contests due to various injuries over the last two seasons.
If the Eagles aren’t sold on Barnett, they could use him as trade bait.
How do the Eagles fix this? Well, there’s the trade market. What about Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers?
Allen is set to become a free agent, along with Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Hunter Henry, and Mike Williams. The Chargers appear to be heading towards a rebuild and Allen doesn’t look to be a part of those plans.
The Eagles could send a 2020 second-round pick and defensive end Derek Barnett in exchange for Allen. If the Eagles wanted to be greedy, they could ask for a 2020 fifth-round pick as well.
The Chargers could use the second round choice on a receiver and get a young defensive end in Barnett that would fit towards the team’s plans for a rebuild. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz would have a solid No. 1 receiver to play alongside DeSean Jackson, and maybe Jeffery if he is still with the team.