The Houston Texans (6-5) claimed defensive end Derek Barnett off waivers Monday, three days after the Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) opted to waive the 27-year-old.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Texans considered trading for Barnett ahead of the NFL’s Halloween trade deadline. Houston will instead be on the hook for just $420,000 in base salary for the rest of the season, plus small per-game roster bonuses, Field Yates of ESPN reported.
Barnett, the 2017 first-round pick out of Tennessee, has posted just three tackles (one solo), one tackle for loss and zero quarterback hits in eight games this season. Over the course of his career, Barnett has recorded 21.5 sacks, 150 tackles (96 solo), 36 tackles for loss and 76 quarterback hits.
Derek Barnett could get more opportunities with Texans
His playing time, however, has diminished over the past two seasons. Barnett suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 1 last season. He returned to action this season, but has been overshadowed by edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat and defensive lineman Jalen Carter among others. Reddick leads the Eagles in sacks with 8.5, followed by Sweat and Carter at 6.5 and 4.0 respectively. Barnett has played in only 20% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps, the second-lowest of his career.
“The Eagles organization would like to thank Derek for his contributions to this team over the last seven seasons,” the Eagles said in a statement. “As a rookie, Derek made one of the most memorable plays in our Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. He has been a great teammate who always played with high energy and effort. We wish Derek nothing but the best.”
The Texans, meanwhile, could use a veteran pass rusher as they push towards the playoffs in the AFC. Houston has just 24 sacks in 11 games this season, a team-leading 7.0 coming from defensive end Jonathan Greenard.
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