5 potential landing spots for Eagles DE Derek Barnett in NFL free agency

Derek Barnett’s final days with the Eagles are upon us.

A lot can happen in five years. New cars are eventually paid off. Newborns become preschoolers, and in the NFL, rookies become veterans. The Philadelphia Eagles selected Derek Barnett with the 14th-overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, and just like that, he was immediately under the microscope as someone the organization thought would be a cornerstone of its defense for years to come.

Five seasons later, he’s the only member of that eight-man Eagles draft class that still plays for the team, and even though, under normal circumstances, that would be an accomplishment, Barnett seemingly has one foot out of the door with this organization.

That alone qualifies as what some might refer to as ‘bad optics’, but in five seasons, D.B. hasn’t given us much to allow ourselves to believe that his tenure with the team wasn’t a total failure.

He’s never developed into the difference-maker that Philadelphia, no doubt, thought they were acquiring. Also, despite seeing the fifth-year option on his rookie deal honored, there isn’t anyone that pays attention to this team that believes we aren’t witnessing his final days as an Eagle.

Sure, nothing’s settled until he’s officially gone, but seeing Josh Sweat earn an extension while Barnett hasn’t been offered one serves as evidence of what his standing is with the franchise. That being said, here are five potential landing spots that make sense once he’s eligible to test the waters of free agency in 2022’s offseason.