Eagles Bring Back Derek Barnett

The former No. 14 overall pick in the 2017 draft returns on a two-year deal

In a move that's surely not winning many friends or influencing significant portions of the fan base, the Eagles have brought back 2017 first-round pick Derek Barnett on a two-year deal.

The numbers are not yet known but the contract will presumably be cost-effective from a team standpoint.

Roster Move: Eagles have signed DE Derek Barnett to a two-year contract.@Toyota | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/wp3Ncoqppe

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 24, 2022

Regarded as an underachiever by many, Barnett, 25, was a favorite of former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and that carried over to a certain degree with Jonathan Gannon, who also respected the Tennessee product's skill level.

A propensity for ill-timed penalties poisoned the well of any objective evaluation of Barnett as a player, however, and even head coach Nick Sirianni would get frustrated at times with Barnett in 2021.

The thought by most around the league and the Eagles themselves was that Barnett would get too much money on the open market as an edge rusher in a league that values the position.

For whatever reason, the market was never there for the 2017 No. 14 overall pick and that put a reunion back in play, one that was consummated on Thursday afternoon.

The return of Barnett means the Eagles will have four rotational options at DE entering the 2022 draft: Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham (returning from a torn Achilles'), Barnett and Tarron Jackson, as well hybrid SAM/edge rusher Haason Reddick.

The thought was that the Eagles would almost most assuredly go with a pass-rusher in the draft with three first-round picks because the position is deep at the top of the class.

Talented Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo, a player the Eagles reportedly like, recently tore his Achilles' at his pro day tightening up the potential options for Philadelphia, which starts the process with Nos. 15, 16, and 19 in the first round.

Bringing Barnett back gives the Eagles the luxury to not press the issue if the draft board doesn't align with DE when they begin selecting.

Billed as a finisher coming out of college where he broke Reggie White's sack records at Tennessee, Barnett has been anything but as a professional, piling up just 21.5 sacks in his first five seasons.

Some of that lack of production can be traced to injuries, as Barnett missed a total of 15 games from 2018-2020 and often played banged-up, something that Schwartz valued.

Last season, Barnett stayed relatively healthy and started 15 games, amassing 46 tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits on his fifth-year rookie option of $10.05M. The Eagles subsequently converted nearly $9M of that into a signing bonus to spread the hit over voidable years.

Had Barnett signed elsewhere he would have counted for $7.249M in dead money on the Eagles' 2022 cap. The valuation for Barnett coming into free agency by many of those who do projections was three years with an $8M or $9M AAV.

Most of the disappointment with Barnett was tied to the expectations of his original draft position. Perhaps, a second deal in which the money is more in tune with Barnett's production level will help some realize that the veteran is a more-than-competent rotational option who can help the Eagles defense moving forward.

-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 "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen