Best Eagles free-agents, contingency plans following Derek Barnett injury

The Eagles don’t have a ton of contingency plans in-house, but they may be able to find help via free agency.

Matt Leo probably isn’t ready to go if we base our opinions on everything we’ve seen from him at this point in his career. Joe Ostman is still available, and he’s intriguing as the Eagles have always liked him and tend to go with guys they’re already familiar with.

Here are a few other available free agents if they determine that’s the best option to fill the void caused by Barnett’s absence.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Eagles fans are very familiar with Jason Pierre-Paul as he’s often been on the opposite sideline. He’s 33 and looked like a shell of his former self in 2021, but with a light workload, he could make some plays.

Everson Griffen

We’re getting even older now with any conversations involving Everson Griffen (he’ll turn 35 in December), but in terms of the best options that are available. He’s better than some other guys that we could name.

Takkarist McKinley

Here’s someone that still has some tread on the tires, Takkarist McKinley won’t turn 27 years young until the end of November. Like Barnett, McKinley is a first-round selection from the 2017 NFL Draft whose career also hasn’t gone as planned. He only trails Derek’s career sack total by 1.5 career quarterback takedowns, but he’s also played in five fewer regular-season games.

One thing that should definitely be taken into consideration. He’s coming off of a torn Achilles that came late in the 2021 season, so much will depend on the results of a physical.