5 Philadelphia Eagles whose stock has fallen, not including Carson Wentz

The Philadelphia Eagles still haven’t gotten that ‘breakout’.

Perhaps there isn’t a better example of what ‘wasted potential’ means than a photo of Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett. Just pretend, for a second, that you were flexing some of that YouTube muscle. Let’s say it was your job to put together a highlight reel of Derek Barnett’s best plays. What would you put on that highlight clip?

Oh damn! It just got really real here, didn’t it? No! That’s a bad attitude. Let’s really dig in and try this.

Okay, there’s that game-ending sack versus Andrew Luck in 2018. There’s that strip-sack in that NFC Championship Game versus the Minnesota Vikings, and oh yeah, it was Derek Barnett that recovered Brandon Graham’s strip of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. What comes after that though?

We’ve got encroachment penalties and personal fouls, but no one wants to see that. There are a few shots of him in street clothes because he’s hurt and a few clips of him at practice following an injury, clips that made us believe that he’d play in an upcoming game. Those aren’t highlights either huh?

The long and short of it is this. Derek Barnett is a bust. Every year, we’re told his breakout season is coming. Every year, it’s more of the same old thing, nothing. At this point, everyone’s given up on him being a star. Everyone has given up on him being a ‘slow-starter’. No one believes that this team can even use him as trade bait anymore.

Here’s more good news. Howie exercised his fifth-year option from his rookie deal though. He’ll be in Philly through the 2021 season. That ought to make you sleep much better at night if you’re an Eagles fan.