Eagles' Derek Barnett Disconnect: 'It's Always Him' vs. 'Wonderful Person'
PHILADELPHIA - It should be stipulated that Derek Barnett never lived up to the hype of being the No. 14 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but somehow the misunderstood defensive end is about to enter his seventh season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
To the fan base, Barnett is an undisciplined hothead with more penalties than sacks, a reputation that costs the team “every week, ” an easily disproven thesis given heft by coach Nick Sirianni’s ironically undisciplined reaction to an offsides penalty during his third game as a rookie head coach.
When Sirianni mouthed “It’s always him” on national television, the Philadelphia faithful pressed stop on Barnett’s story even though the organization continued to value him as a player.
It’s an incredible disconnect from a psychological standpoint that could probably earn grant money if pitched by a PhD.
Inside the NovaCare Complex, Barnett is revered as a hard-working professional and a great teammate.
“Derek is meticulous in his preparation,” said Jeremiah Washburn, Barnett’s position coach. “He does a lot of work with (assistant strength and conditioning coach) Eddie Grayer and our strength coaches pre-practice, does a lot of individual work with me and the assistants, then a lot of post-practice stuff.”
The schism, however, is best amplified by how Barnett is viewed as a person by those who know him.
“He is a very genuine warm person,” Washburn said. “We have a new assistant coach here and I told him in the spring you're going to love Derek Barnett and he told me yesterday 'I love Derek Barnett.'
“Everybody in the building loves him just because he's very authentic. He's a wonderful person."
Washburn’s sentiments were offered moments after the Eagles’ joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts was cut short after things got too chippy and Jason Kelce decided to make Colts’ linebacker Zaire Franklin roadkill after a 40-yard sprint.
Long before Kelce bubbled over from Franklin trying to bully running back Kenny Gainwell, Barnett was pestering Indianapolis rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, resulting in a scrum that might have lit the fuse.
“It’s always him” was revived on social media.
"I'd have to watch it. That's not a cop-out,” Washburn said when asked about the dust-up. “I legit did not see it so we'd have to watch it on the tape."
In a bottom-line business, it would be far easier for the Eagles to just cut bait on Barnett.
He’s no longer the guy who broke Reggie White’s sack records at Tennessee or the prospect with the bend around the edge to be a double-digit sack artist. Coming into camp, Barnett was projected to be the fifth edge rusher behind Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith.
However, when Barnett was finally cleared from the torn ACL that wiped out most of his 2022 season, there he was, getting more first-team reps than expected, working as a drop linebacker on occasion, and forcing his way into the plans as a valuable rotational piece to the point Howie Roseman worked out a restructured deal to make it more palatable for the Eagles to keep him.
"He looks really good,” Washburn said. “... you're seeing a lot of spring out of him now so he's playing well. He's doing a great job."
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
