4 Key Eagles Who Will Be Free Agents After 2023 Season

Derek Barnett

Derek Barnett was at the center of trade speculation this offseason, but the Eagles have so far been unwilling to move him.

Philly has the deepest group of edge rushers in the league, and while it might be attractive to try parlaying that into improvements at another position, it makes sense to hold onto your depth in case injuries pop up. Thinning yourself out at a key position is just inviting disaster down the road.

Barnett’s contract also made moving him tricky — the Eagles wouldn’t take on much dead money right away, but trading him would put over $7 million on the books for 2024.

Barnett’s production peaked in 2019 (6.5 sacks, 22 QB hits, 10 TFLs), and both his role and his level of play have shrunk since then. That’s a disappointment considering the hype he had coming into the NFL as the No. 14 pick, but even in 2020 and 2021 he was at least playing decently — just not to a level that justified his contract.

Returning from a torn ACL certainly won’t help on that front, but he’s still just 27 years old and has plenty of experience and chemistry in this defense.

If any big needs pop up ahead of the trade deadline (or rookie Nolan Smith breaks out) we could still see Barnett moved ahead of the trade deadline, but for now Howie appears ready to keep his 2017 first-round pick in town.

Barnett probably won’t play much behind Haason Reddick, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Nolan Smith, and even if we don’t see him playing anywhere else in 2023, Eagles fans should certainly expect to see him wearing a different uniform in 2024.