Eagles’ Derek Barnett doesn’t feel the pressure as he enters Year 3 | Jeff McLane
Struck by injury and tragedy early in his career, the defensive lineman is confident that he can bring consistency to his flashes of brilliance.
Derek Barnett, aside from Carson Wentz, may be the Eagles player under the most pressure to perform this season.
The third-year defensive end doesn’t agree.
“I don’t think there’s a lot on me,” Barnett said Thursday after the Eagles’ first practice of training camp. “But every time I step on the field, I want to perform my best and be the best player I can be for my teammates because they drafted me for a reason.
“Absolutely, when I step on the field, I feel like I have to perform well. Don’t get me wrong. But pressure-wise? No, there’s no pressure. You just trust your training, go out there, and let it loose.”
Pressure can be relative. If you don’t allow yourself to be burdened, is there even such an imposition? Objectively, the circumstances surrounding Barnett suggest that, by any definition, there will be the force of expectations.
He is, for one, a former first-round draft pick. He has given little reason to believe that he won’t eventually fulfill the promise of that investment. But Barnett also hasn’t shown enough, partly because of injury, to indicate that it will be a forgone conclusion.
So there is some uncertainty, especially if last season’s torn rotator cuff stunts his return this year. But the Eagles likely can’t afford to ease Barnett back from injury, nor can they sustain a regression on the field because they don’t have as many proven defensive ends as they had just one year ago.
Michael Bennett was traded, Chris Long retired, and with them went a combined 15½ sacks, 50 quarterback hits, and 20 tackles for losses.
Brandon Graham returns healthier than he was last season and will start opposite Barnett. Former Eagle Vinny Curry was brought back as a reserve. Josh Sweat and rookie Shariff Miller could also be homegrown youngsters who contribute on the edges. And defensive tackles Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, and Tim Jernigan will shoulder pass rush responsibilities as well.
But Barnett, who will line up primarily on the right against left tackles, is the obvious candidate to compensate for Bennett’s and Long’s departures and to be the elite edge rusher the Eagles have lacked for years. The Eagles won’t publicly say it, but those are the expectations.
“He just knows he needs to be healthy to go out and do the things he needs to do,” new Eagles defensive end Phillip Daniels said last month. “At times that could overwhelm a guy coming here, thinking he got to go out there and prove something. He’s got nothing to prove.”
Perspective helps. Barnett was flying high by the time of his injury last year. He had 15 tackles, 2½♦ sacks, and four tackles for losses in the first four games. But then he tore his rotator cuff, sat out a game, and played two more games despite the restrictions.
“I just couldn’t really keep on playing,” Barnett said in his first extended interview since the injury, “and the best thing long-term was to get it fixed and get it behind me.”
But tragedy struck the Barnett family when Derek’s older brother died in a car collision in Nashville last December. David Barnett was 33 years old. The driver of the other car, who was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication, crossed over into oncoming traffic and hit Barnett head on, police said.
Derek Barnett said that he was good when asked about how he’s been handling his brother’s death, but he clearly wants to keep his thoughts on the subject private and separate from his job.
“My personal life, my personal issues are my personal issue,” Barnett said. “But when I come here it’s strictly football, strictly business.”
Daniels and the Eagles haven’t publicized the importance of Barnett’s third season because it’s obvious and because he doesn’t need the motivation. If he does fall short of expectations it won’t be because he didn’t do the necessary work.
But he needs repetitions. He logged just 424 regular-season snaps playing behind Curry in his rookie season. He played through a sports hernia and had surgery last offseason. And then was shut down after just 235 snaps last season.
“He was on his way last year,” Daniels said. “He was playing good those early games and then he played beat-up a couple games. But if he picks up from where he left off last year, he’ll be just fine.”
Barnett was a limited participant at practice Thursday. He said that he’s getting close to a full return and that playing in Week 1 was realistic. But it’s fair to speculate if the injury will impede the one area he has continued to say he needs to improve: gaining strength.
Athleticism isn’t a problem. Barnett’s bend allows for him to penetrate around any left tackle. But if he has only one move and can’t bull rush or power slap into the backfield, his outside speed rush will be effectively neutralized.
“Not just rely on one thing," Barnett said. "Do multiple things. Not be one-dimensional.”
Barnett said that he’s been able to rehab and strength-train this offseason. The shoulder has limited his upper-body work, according to Daniels, but it has allowed for the 6-foot-3, 259-pound end to focus on his legs.
“If you can’t work upper body, you work lower body,” Daniels said. “I think that’s the most important thing for a defensive lineman is your lower body. You don’t have to bench-press a lot to get people off you.”
Barnett turned only 23 in June. He’s far from a finished product, as Graham noted when the topic of Barnett’s being press-shy was broached by a reporter. Graham, also a first-rounder, endured a similar start to his career. The 10-year veteran got off to a promising start only to have it derailed by injury.
“He wants to do it on the field before he talks about himself,” Graham said. “I’ve been there. It’s tough. But it’ll come. He’s too talented.”