4 Philadelphia Eagles we forgot about and should look forward to in 2019

Derek Barnett, DE

Two years ago, the Eagles selected Derek Barnett with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. During Barnett’s rookie season with the Eagles, he played a very crucial part in the Eagles Super Bowl success. Not only did he have a strip sack on Case Keenum during the NFC Championship, which one of the most critical plays of the game – but he also recovered the strip sack fumble from Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.

With Barnett’s impressive rookie season of 21 total tackles, a forced fumble, and five sacks, he solidified himself as a starter the following year. Barnett’s Sophomore effort got off to a hot start, but unfortunately, he could only appear in six games. 2018 was a bad year for almost everybody, but Barnett especially. Not only did he undergo surgery in the offseason, but he eventually had to end his season while only six games in due to a shoulder injury.

During that six-game stretch, Barnett finished out with 16 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Not bad for the amount of time that he played. Barnett looked good in year two, and hopefully, he looks even better in year three. The loss of Michael Bennett hurts, but many forget just how productive Barnett was last season. I’d go as far as saying he was the best defensive end through those first six games. Luckily, Bennett picked up where he left off and dominated down the stretch.