The Philadelphia Eagles defense is going to look vastly different in 2023 than it did in 2022. Not only is defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon no longer with the team after accepting the head coaching position with the Arizona Cardinals, their personnel is changing as well.
Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps all departed in free agency. All five players were starters and heavily involved in the Eagles’ game plan last season and will need to be replaced.
Could another one of the team’s mainstays on the defensive side of the ball be heading elsewhere, too? Recently, it was suggested that pass rusher Derek Barnett could have played his final snap with the franchise.
Barnett, a 2017 first-round pick out of Tennessee, tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2022 season. He came into the offseason as a prime cut candidate as he was set to earn $7.5M in base salary with $1.5M guaranteed. Bo Wulf of The Athletic provided the reasoning for why Barnett could be on the move.
“In theory, Barnett should have had plenty of time to recover from the injury in order to be ready for the start of the 2023 season, but the 2017 first-round pick seems not to factor heavily into the team’s plans,” wrote Wulf on July 25. “The contract he signed last offseason makes it difficult to release him outright. If he shows up to camp healthy, the more the merrier for the pass rush. But it feels more likely that he’s played his last game for the team that drafted him.”
A day later, Barnett agreed to a restructured contract with the Eagles. His guaranteed money was increased to $3.5M with a chance to earn $2.25M in incentives. So, while the maximum value that he can earn on the new deal is lower, his guarantee is a little higher.
Given the fact that he agreed to the amended contract, Charen Williams of NBC Sports believes that Barnett’s spot on the roster is now safe. Void years were added to the end of his contract as well to lower his cap hit in 2023 even more to $5.5M for the 2023 season.
There is still a chance that the Eagles look to move on from Barrett, as he could be a trade candidate. Both sides agreeing to a new contract likely extends their relationship one more season, but it certainly won’t rule out a move being made in the coming weeks of training camp.
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