The Eagles have granted permission to Derek Barnett’s agent to test the waters of the NFL trade market.
The news broke on Monday as the Eagles continue to make roster cuts to establish their initial 53-man roster.
#Eagles DE Derek Barnett, through agent Drew Rosenhaus, is gauging the market for the potential to play more elsewhere, per sources. Philly plans to keep Barnett but understands a deep pass-rush roster limits playing time. The 2017 first-round pick should have trade value. pic.twitter.com/lq4KrNNFsC
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 28, 2023
Of course, Barnett is not in danger of winding up being cut, but he is probably looking at being the fifth man in a rotation with Haason Reddick. Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith.
The fact that Barnett may wind up on the third-string could really help him take advantage of offensive personnel that are tired when he enters the game, but it is also likely to limit the amount of snaps he sees and the potential for more stats to be compiled.
In that manner, it could wind up affecting his new contract as he looks for a deal he has yet to get due to injuries.
Barnett, of course, secured the strip sack in Super Bowl LII.
He’s also known by many fans for some of the penalties he committs.
Still, Barnett is a talented edge rusher and teams around the league should value that. The question will be whether or not a team is willing to pony up to what it would take for the Eagles to give up that depth.
In a trade, the Birds could look for future picks to help build for the future and potentially use the move to clear a 53-man spot for someone they want to keep/bring in. They could also look to flip Barnett for a player at a position of need like safety if the opportunity presents itself.
Barnett is in the last year of his contract but he does have void years that carry some future cap hit. The Eagles had worked with him on the contract earlier in the offseason.
