10 Philadelphia Eagles that will play key roles in winning at Pittsburgh
Derek Barnett, defensive end. 8. player. 54. . .
The Philadelphia Eagles are getting good results from most of their D-Line.
Fourth-year defensive end Derek Barnett presents an interesting dilemma for the Eagles. On one hand, he has failed to live up to the first-round selection the Eagles used on him. On the other hand, he keeps doing just enough to get our attention. Just this past training camp, fellow defensive end Josh Sweat took advantage of Barnett’s absence due to an ankle sprain ’96’ suffered and seized the opportunity.
Barnett hasn’t thrown in the towel though as he’s making strides. He went toe to toe against 49ers left tackle Trent Williams and recorded on half-sack and two quarterback hits. He was equally adept at stopping the run. He needs to keep performing that way against the Steelers.
Malik Jackson, defensive tackle. 7. player. 54. . .
The Eagles brass should be pleased with how good their defensive ends are playing. Also, they should be concerned about defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave not having much impact. While Cox hasn’t been atrocious, he hasn’t had the impact he’s had in previous years. On the other hand, the Eagles front four seems to play better when Hargrave isn’t on the field.
The one bright spot has been Malik Jackson, who is proving he hasn’t had any setbacks after missing almost the entire 2019 season with a Lisfranc injury. He currently leads the team with eight quarterback hits. He registered two against the 49ers.