Eagles waive former first-round pick Derek Barnett

ByTim McManus ESPN logo
Saturday, November 25, 2023

PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagleshave waived veteran defensive end Derek Barnett, the team announced on Friday.

Barnett, 27, was drafted 14th overall by the Eagles in 2017 out of Tennessee, where he broke Reggie White's team record for most career sacks (33). He made an impact as a rookie, posting five sacks and 16 quarterback hits during Philadelphia's Super Bowl run.

But he never exceeded 6.5 sacks in a season and saw a sharp dip in playing time beginning in 2022. In August, Barnett and agent Drew Rosenhaus were gauging the market for potential trade partners that could give him more playing time, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, but nothing came to fruition.

He was a healthy inactive Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboysand was ruled out of Monday's game at the Kansas City Chiefs for what the team described as personal reasons. Barnett finishes his career in Philadelphia with 21.5 sacks over 73 games.

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