Philadelphia Eagles, Derek Barnett agree to 4-year contract

Derek Barnett has agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles and first-round draft selection Derek Barnett have finally agreed to terms on a contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report on the signing. The Eagles confirmed Schefter’s report via Twitter and made Barnett’s four-year deal official.

With Barnett now under contract, the Eagles have officially signed all of their 2017 draft selections.

Selected with the No. 14 overall selection in this year’s draft, Barnett, a Tennessee product, is expected to play a large role for the Eagles as a first-year pro. He has already impressed defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who gave Barnett a glowing review during Eagles OTAs Tuesday.

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In just three seasons at Tennessee, Barnett broke the school’s all-time sack record (32.0), which was previously held by none other than Reggie White himself. It took White four seasons to set the record back in 1983.

The Eagles’ front four figures to be a bright spot once again for the defense in 2017. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham are two of the best in the business at their respective positions and the Eagles also added Timmy Jernigan and Chris Long to the defensive line as well.

With so much talent on the defensive line, it’s hard to imagine former first-round pick Marcus Smith will have a roster spot in 2017. Smith has been curiously absent from OTAs thus far. The Eagles chose not to use the fifth-year option on Smith last month, so they seem ready to move on from him as well. If that is the case, Barnett will have more opportunities to see the field as a rookie.

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