Eagles Position Examination: Defensive Ends (Derek Barnett or Josh Sweat?)
PHILADELPHIA - Defensive end is one of the deeper positions on the Eagles right now but any time you undergo a drastic change, there are questions that need to be answered everywhere and they start on the defensive front with how new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and his hand-picked D-Line coach, Tracy Rocker, view the talent they inherited.
Rocker, a former defensive tackle at Auburn back in the late 1980s where he became the first SEC player to win both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, has spent the majority of his coaching career at the college level but got to know Gannon when he was the D-Line coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2011-2013.
Since that time, Rocker has been back in the SEC - at Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina - and will now give the professional ranks another try. At 54, he's one of the oldest and most experienced coaches on Nick Sirianni's inaugural staff, albeit again most of that experience coming in college.
At DE, Rocker figures to have a number of solid players to work with starting with Brandon Graham, who remains an underappreciated, often dominant player coming off his first but long overdue Pro Bowl berth. B.G. turns 33 in April, however, on a team that the owner himself admits is entering a transition phase.
Off the field, Graham is one of the team's real leaders, the so-called energy guy who can light up any room with his smile. In other words, he could be a conduit for Sirianni to start building a rapport in the locker room.
That said, the Eagles have some serious work to do when it comes to getting into compliance with the salary cap which figures to land at right about $180 million for 2021 and means certain veterans will be approached about restructuring.
Set to count at nearly $18M against the 2021 cap, Graham will be among the first asked to tweak his deal.
If you assume Graham is back at LDE, that leaves Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat set to do battle at RDE.
Barnett, coming into his rookie contract option year and set to count over $10M against the cap, could be extended to alleviate some of that but it will also be interesting to see how the new defensive staff views the former first-round pick moving forward.
Former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was a big fan of Barnett, 24, but did note that injuries, which have cost Barnett 16 games over his first four NFL seasons (essentially one full campaign) kept him from reaching his potential as an edge rusher with impressive bend around the corner. Barnett has a total of 19.5 sacks in his first four seasons and finished with 5.5 in 13 games in 2021 while playing in 535 defensive snaps.
Sweat, meanwhile, was more productive in a bit of a breakout season with 6.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss vs. 6 for Barnett, and 3 forced fumbles vs. none for the former first-rounder, all in fewer opportunities (422 defensive snaps).
Sweat is also only 23 and clearly an ascending player, although there's always concern over the dislocated knee coupled with a torn ACL that ended his high school career where he was considered to be a five-star prospect. In other words, perhaps it's best to use Sweat in a rotational role to limit wear and tear.
From there, Vinny Curry was still very productive in 2020 but will turn 33 in June and this team needs to get younger so it's probably time to turn the page.
The developmental prospects that remain are Genard Avery, Joe Ostman, and Matt Leo, who was with the Eagles through the International Pathway Program last season.
DEPTH CHART
LDE: Brandon Graham
RDE: Derek Barnett
DE3: Josh Sweat
DE4: Genard Avery
DE5: Joe Ostman
DE6: Matt Leo
FREE AGENTS
The bottom of the depth chart is likely going to need some replenishment and there's always the chance that Curry could be brought back on a 1-year deal for a veteran minimum because he loves the organization and the area. There are no obvious choices from Gannon's recent history because the Colts' free agents at the position - Justin Houston and Denico Autry are over 30 types like Curry.
DRAFT
There are no edge rushers worthy of being the No. 6 overall pick this year but if Philadelphia pulls off the Carson Wentz trade and is able to get another first-round pick at 20 or 21 this is a position that could be addressed.
Michigan's Kwity Paye seems like an early-riser and out of reach by that point and the upside of Miami's Gregory Rousseau is probably too high to reach the early 20s but if he does fall, that might be a run to the virtual-podium pick. The stocks of Rousseau's teammate at Miami, Jaelan Phillips, as well as Wake Forest prospect Carlos Basham Jr. and Penn State's Jayson Oweh are also worth keeping an eye on.
TRADE
In theory, the Eagles could try to move Graham to a contender with the knowledge he'll be nearing the end when this team is good again or Barnett if a team-friendly extension is not looked upon favorably by agent Drew Rosenhaus.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
