I am very familiar with Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett’s play. I watched him his whole collegiate career at my alma mater, Tennessee. I also studied his college film when he was coming out in 2017 before writing up my pre-draft breakdown of his game. I know what this kid can do when healthy, so he was a no-brainer pick to be a breakout player this year.
Let’s try this again: THIS will be Derek Barnett’s breakout season with the Eagles
Last year was supposed to be Barnett’s breakout season, until injury struck. Now he can pick up where he left off: making life hell for opposing QBs.
Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
Thing is, last season was actually supposed to be his breakout year.
A shoulder injury sent him to injured reserve after only six games. But before that, Barnett was playing like he had already taken a big step forward from his rookie year. Which is saying a lot considering Barnett was pretty damn good in his first season in the league.
He was able to notch five sacks in the regular season that year and was an important contributor to a team that won the first Super Bowl in Eagles history. Last year, Barnett racked up 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks in just those six games, all of which he started.
The guy is just relentless when he is on the field.
Even if he weren’t as talented and as skilled as he is, he would still find a way to make plays because his motor never stops running. You combine that kind of drive with a guy who is very athletic and who also has great, consistent technique like Barnett does, and the playmaking potential shoots through the roof.
Barnett isn’t the biggest defensive end you will see at 6’3 and 259 pounds, but he plays with a lot of power and explosion. He comes off the ball like a bat out of hell and just makes life miserable for anybody trying to block him. He is quick as hell too, so Barnett makes it extremely hard for an offensive lineman to be able to predict what he’s going to do.
More than anything, the guy just understands how to play the game. His football IQ is off the charts, and that gives him a decided edge with the physical gifts he has already been blessed with.
One thing that does concern me is that with the shoulder injury, there is no way to know just how much work Barnett was able to do this offseason in trying to improve his craft. So much about playing on the defensive line, and more specifically rushing the passer as a defensive lineman, involves using your arms to help keep blocker(s) off of you.
If Barnett was restricted from using that arm this spring and early summer, then there was probably a lot of technique stuff that he hasn’t even been able work on since that injury. He also started training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so he wasn’t practicing then, either. The good news is Barnett started being a full participant in practice again recently.
With his kind of work ethic, I believe Barnett should be able to knock the rust off fairly quickly.
You don’t really ever forget technique when you are as polished as he is, anyway. It may take him a little while to get his timing back, which makes me think he may start off the season a little slow. However, the second half of the season is when we will really see Barnett take off and start to look dominant.
If he can stay healthy, I can see Barnett at least come close to hitting double-digit sacks this season.
One thing that particularly impressed me about his game last season was that he was finally starting to use more counter moves, rather than relying so much on his speed rush around the edge. Switching up his paths to the quarterback showed a maturity in his game that it sometimes takes pass rushers several years to reach.
If he can continue to build on that this season, he is going to give offensive tackles fits week in and week out.
Another thing that favors Barnett having a breakout year is that Chris Long has retired and Michael Bennett is now with the Patriots. Everything is all set up for Barnett to not only start, but also for him to be on the field for a lot more plays with less of a rotation at defensive end. Vinny Curry and Josh Sweat will be pushing for playing time, but I believe Barnett will get the lion’s share of the reps this season.
And with those expanded opportunities, I expect Barnett to make a lot more plays.
Once he gets gets rolling, I think the sky is the limit for Derek Barnett this season. He just has to find a way to avoid the injury bug like he avoids offensive linemen.
Confidence level: High
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