A veteran pass rusher is suddenly available with the Philadelphia Eagles choosing to waive defensive end Derek Barnett after a few years of lukewarm trade rumors. And the New Orleans Saints would be wise to try and pick him up off the waiver wire.
Barnett was Philadelphia’s first round pick back in 2017, selected three slots after the Saints took cornerback Marshon Lattimore; the former Tennessee Volunteer had a solid start to his career as a pressure player off the edge, but he lost his 2022 season to a torn ACL and returned to a diminished role in 2023.
So why would he fit the Saints? New Orleans is tied for the second-fewest sacks in the NFL this season (18). They rank eighth-lowest in pressure rate (18.2%) at Pro Football Reference. Anyone watching their games can tell that their defensive line is a slow unit that struggles to finish plays. Even if Barnett isn’t the same player he once was, he could be an upgrade over other players in their depth chart.
It helps his case that Barnett is affordable — ESPN’s Field Yates reports that the Eagles restructured his contract prior to waiving him, which means an acquiring team like the Saints would only be on the hook for $420,000 in base salary for the rest of this season. That’s a very easy fit even for New Orleans’ complicated salary cap spreadsheet.
Plus, the Saints are slotted pretty high in waiver claim priority after suffering back-to-back losses in recent weeks. They should fall at No. 12 out of the 32 teams. If they want Barnett, there’s a decent chance they could get him. With Cameron Jordan dealing with an ankle injury from Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons and Jason Pierre-Paul not making much impact behind Carl Granderson and Tanoh Kpassagnon (Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner aren’t ready to return to action just yet, either), the Saints have nothing to lose by at least kicking the tires on Barnett and seeing if he can play.
