10 Philadelphia Eagles who must step up going forward

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Washington Redskins during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

8 of 11

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 06: Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles sacks David Fales #3 of the New York Jets in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on October 6, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Jets 31-6. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

7. Derek Barnett, defensive end

When the Eagles took Derek Barnett with the 14th-overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, quite a few fans needed help in knowing who he was. Once they figured out he played with the Tennessee Volunteers and broke Reggie White‘s sack record, they got excited.

His recovery of the greatest strip-sack in the history of the Super Bowl was preceded by a strip-sack of his own in the NFC Championship Game of that same season. As great as his career started, it’s taken a bit of turn throughout the past two seasons.

Related Story. Awards for NFL season’s 1st quarter. light

Year two ended with a trip to the IR (injured reserve). Year three has gotten off to a slow start. That’s not good when everybody looks at you as being the reason that Chris Long isn’t here and when your contract is close to expiring. This was expected to be a breakout season for Barnett. It still can be, but with the road trip coming up, that needs to start sooner rather than later.

Home/Eagles News