Eagles’ Derek Barnett expected to miss the remainder of the 2022 season with a torn ACL
Barnett, the Eagles' first-round draft pick in 2017, went down against the Detroit Lions in his first game since re-signing with the team.
Defensive end Derek Barnett suffered a torn ACL during the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions, coach Nick Sirianni said Monday afternoon. Barnett, a sixth-year veteran, is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
With Barnett, 26, lined up from the right side of the defensive line on Sunday afternoon, he attempted to rush Lions quarterback Jared Goff, but Barnett appeared to fall to the turf without sustaining any contact. Trainers immediately attended to Barnett while a majority of his teammates knelt around him. He eventually walked off under his own power but did not return to the game.
“I love the way Derek Barnett comes to work every day and plays with grittiness and toughness, he’s nasty,” Sirianni said. “I am a huge Derek Barnett fan. He will be missed. It [stinks]. I hate it for this team. I can’t tell you how much I think of Derek.”
This past offseason, Barnett tested the open market as a free agent, but he returned to the Eagles on a two-year contract that guaranteed him $4.5 million in the first year. After the Eagles finished second to last in sacks, they emphasized improving their pass rush, highlighted by the addition of edge rusher/linebacker Haason Reddick, who signed a three-year deal worth $45 million. Reddick leaped Barnett and veteran Brandon Graham on the depth chart; 2021 Pro Bowler Josh Sweat and Reddick started on the edges against the Lions.
But with Barnett more than likely out for the rest of the season, the team’s depth will be tested. Second-year defensive end Tarron Jackson was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game. Sirianni mentioned Jackson while discussing Barnett’s injury.
» READ MORE: Redrafting the NFL’s 2017 class: Which player could the Eagles have landed instead of Derek Barnett?
The Eagles’ first-round draft pick in 2017, Barnett has compiled 147 tackles, including 36 tackles for losses, 21½ sacks, and three forced fumbles across 65 games (45 starts) in five-plus seasons. Barnett has missed several games due to injury, including 10 games in 2018, two in 2019, and three in 2020. During Sirianni’s first year as coach in 2021, he was caught mouthing the words, ‘It’s always him,’ in reference to Barnett being penalized during a September game against the Cowboys.
“We have some good options there,” Sirianni said. “Tarron wasn’t up yesterday, but how quickly can it turn from you not being up for a game to you having a significant role. If you’re a backup, you’re one snap away from going in. That’s how it’s going to play for Tarron. My heart breaks for Derek. I’m looking forward to Tarron getting more reps.”
» READ MORE: The power of positivity lifts Brandon Graham — and the Eagles look to emulate his good energy
The Eagles also welcomed back the 34-year-old Graham, who returned from a torn Achilles injury that ended his 2021 season. Graham, the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, was one of the only defenders to record a sack against the Lions. (He and Fletcher Cox combined for a sack on Goff.)
“It was huge to have Brandon Graham back,” Sirianni said. “In the scenario we’re in right now, you want as much depth as you possibly can there. BG seems like he’s always the one that can pick us up with his infectious personality. Guys gravitate toward him. That’s why he’s one of our captains. Good to see him back making plays.”