By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles certainly have a Rocky Balboa edge heading into the 2022 season. The first, pivotal depth chart for Philly was recently released. With that stated, I’m going to simply untwine five takeaways from the Eagles depth chart.

Jordan Davis

The Eagles may have a future stud in the behemoth defensive lineman Jordan Davis (who the Eagles traded up for at 13th overall), but it seems that the Eagles are being patient with his development. He’s currently listed as the second-string DT behind none other than Fletcher Cox (who starts across from Javon Hargrave). Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Eagles DT that has dazzled in training camp becomes well-rounded enough to bull-doze OL next to the All-Pro DT Fletcher Cox in Week 1.

Boston Scott/Kenneth Gainwell

The Eagles are rolling with Miles Sanders at RB1, as expected. After Sanders, it’s a rotation between the versatile Boston Scott (7 rushing TDs) & the sophomore Kenneth Gainwell (5 rushing TDs last season). Sanders has missed nine contests in the prior two seasons combined.

Jalen Reagor

The young Eagles WR Jalen Reagor is listed as the second-string WR behind A.J. Brown at the moment. There have been two observations with Reagor thus far. For 1. He’s had flashes of play-making ability and 2. other teams (CHI and DEN) have expressed interest in acquiring him. It may honestly be wise for the Eagles to ship away the backup WR for the best offer. De

Derek Barnett

I really believe that the Eagles edge rusher that has a second life with the Eagles is one of the biggest x-factors moving forward. It will be crucial that he can show growth in 2022, so he can eventually be a dominant edge player when Graham retires.

Marcus Epps

The Eagles young safety Marcus Epps has impressed in training camp thus far. He nicely made an interception on the very first day.Per Eagles Today, Epps stated, “I’ve got a lot more confidence out there. I feel like these first few days, I’ve been flying around. Like I said, I’m just trying to keep building on that every day because I haven’t arrived by any means, and I know that. I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs offense can score at will against any opponent, but they could certainly benefit from more pass rush talent on their defense. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three pass rushers that would be logical trade targets for the Chiefs.

Marcus Davenport

The New Orleans Saints pass rusher Marcus Davenport hasn’t quite cultivated into a reliable force on the field (11 missed games in the past two seasons combined). Nonetheless, Davenport is utterly productive in his on-field snaps. He registered an 88.8 grade by PFF last season. The Saints have two lethal pass rushers not named Marcus Davenport in Cameron Jordan and Payton Turner. They may be open to trading the slightly inconsistent Davenport, who is entering the final year of his contract.

Derek Barnett

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the most talented front sevens in all of football. They brought in Haason Reddick (23.5 sacks in the past two seasons combined) and Brandon Graham will return healthy. With that said, the Eagles could be open to dealing with their young pass rusher, Derek Barnett. He has slightly underperformed, but he still has three seasons with 5+ sacks and 16+ QB hits. He could help the Chiefs have a fine pass-rushing rotation — as he also has sneaky upside.

Robert Quinn

The Bears shipped away the mythical figure in Khalil Mack this off-season. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the rebuilding team traded the expensive, 32-year-old pass rusher Robert Quinn, as well. Quinn could be the cherry on top for the Chiefs team, as he is coming off a monster 18.5 sack season. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggested that the Chiefs should consider acquiring Quinn. The former Ram would be the most challenging profile to acquire, but he may be worth it.

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The Atlanta Falcons surely have to improve their wide receiver position this offseason, but there is another key position that needs a jolt: edge rusher. The Falcons recently cut ties with Dante Fowler Jr. and it’s obvious they need a prominent edge rusher to replace Fowler Jr. and chase down quarterbacks with Grady Jarrett. So, which free-agent pass rushers could the Falcons target? Well, here are a few strong options for ATL.

Derek Barnett

The former first-round pick Derek Barnett could be a nice value pick-up for the Falcons. Barnett has quality athletic ability and he’s had flashes in his career leading up to this point. Barnett recorded 6.5 sacks in 2019 and 5.5 sacks in 2020, but he only ousted two sacks in 2021.

If the Falcons decide to draft a pass rusher in round one strike big with a free agent edge rusher like Clowney, I’d love to see the Falcons pick up Barnett. “The Savage” has penalty issues, but he has a lot of upside as a modest run defender and pass rusher.

Jason Pierre-Paul

The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers unleashed 9.5 sacks in 2021 but unveiled a career-low 2.5 sacks in 12 games with the Bucs last season. The rook Joe Tryon and Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaq Barrett were beneficial to the Bucs success on defense, but they didn’t help JPP dominate the stat sheet.

I believe JPP is a second-tier pass rusher that the Falcons could realistically sign. He has the experience and juice to help another NFC South team opposing QBs that try to match points with the Falcons offense.

Ryan Kerrigan

Ryan Kerrigan isn’t a sexy pass rusher at this stage in his career, but that could fall into the Falcons favor. Kerrigan unveiled 5.5+ sacks in every season up until 2021. The 2011 draft pick has made four Pro Bowls in his career.

He rotated in Barnett and Brandon Graham last season, so he didn’t have his usual amount of opportunities to shine (two games started). He is still a valuable depth piece and the Falcons could be another modest, intriguing fit for his services.

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Jacob Keppen

Davion Taylor

Heading into the 2021 NFL Season, former 3rd round pick Davion Taylor was just an afterthought to many fans, he was a name many were actively trying to forget. The Colorado linebacker was one of the most scrutinized picks in the whole draft, with many viewing Taylor as a day three project. While the athletic upside was intriguing, Taylor running a 4.49 40 yard dash, Taylor had a ways to go as a football player. 

Taylor was a player who never participated in football until he was 18 years old. The instincts and overall feel for the game had not been developed over time, and many doubted whether or not they ever would. Those fears were given credence when Taylor only managed to see the field for 32 snaps in his rookie year. With the emergence of Alex Singleton last year and the addition of former Viking Eric Wilson, not many outside of the organization gave much thought to the Eagles 3rd round pick.

Early on into training camp, Taylor has seen an increase in playtime under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. With the work he put in during his 2nd offseason, Taylor has impressed the Eagles coaching staff enough to give him a majority of starting reps in camp. Gannon has stated that Taylor looks “A lot more comfortable” during camp. With his athleticism and untapped potential, it will be interesting to see if Gannon and the Eagles staff can have a real player in Davion Taylor moving forward.

Jordan Mailata

The battle for left tackle was one of the biggest storylines heading into Eagles training camp. On one side you have Andre Dillard, a player the Eagles liked enough to trade up for to take in the 1st round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Dillard has not played much, struggling in limited reps in the 2019 season, and missing all of 2020 with an injury. His foe is a man very few expected to be in this position. 

Jordan Mailata wasn’t a highly touted prospect like Dillard. He didn’t anchor the left side of a line in college football like Dillard at Washington State. Mailata was a rugby player who decided to convert to offensive tackle. A true physical specimen, Mailata was intriguing enough for the Eagles to take a shot on him in the 7th round of the 2018 draft. It was a cool story for camp, the former rugby player attempting to make a roster in the NFL”¦ but it became clear that Mailata could play. The growth Mailata took over two years on the Eagles after never playing a snap of organized football before was nothing short of a miracle, a miracle culminating in solid play in replacement of Jason Peters in the 2020 season. A cool story was starting to become a cool reality, only if he could earn his starting spot. 

Early on in training camp, Mailata has pretty easily been the better player of the two. Against one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the league, Mailata has been able to hold his own, using his impressive size and mobility to neutralize guys such as Josh Sweat and Derek Barnett. Dillard on the other hand has struggled as a whole through four days of training camp. With the gap starting to widen with every practice, will Mailata do enough to earn the starting nod despite the two players’ respective draft positions?

Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat

It’s a bit of a cop out to list both players, but the two defensive ends have both boosted their stocks so far in training camp. Philly fans have been waiting a while for the Derek Barnett breakout, and while it hasn’t necessarily come on the statsheet yet, the former first-round pick from Tennessee has become a very solid overall defensive end. 

He’s trying to thwart off rising edge rusher Josh Sweat, a former fourth-round pick with a knack for getting into the backfield. The talent has always been there for Sweat, a former top college recruit, but staying healthy enough to show it has been the problem for the former Florida State Seminole. After a very good season that saw Sweat get to the quarterback more times than Barnett despite starting fewer games, a good camp could earn Sweat the starting spot.
So who’s outperformed the other to earn the starting spot in training camp? Honestly, neither! Both Sweat and Barnett have performed well in camp, giving the Eagles offensive tackles all that they can handle. ESPN Eagles Beat Reporter Tim McManus reported that defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon views both as starters. It appears that opposing teams will have to worry about a high-quality pass rusher on every single down when they play Philadelphia this season.

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By: Jake Rajala

Derek Barnett, who is heading into his fifth season, has been the subject of frequent trade speculation. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Derek Barnett 14th overall in the 2017 draft. To sum up Barnett’s four-year journey, he’s been a valuable contributor, but he hasn’t lived up to his draft stature.  

Barnett has registered roughly four sacks, five TFLs, and 12 QB hits per season. He’s far from Pro Bowl material, but his presence has been valuable in the lineup. 

The Eagles know that Barnett hasn’t been proven to be a high-end starter, so they’ve sought out higher talent at the EDGE spot this offseason. In free agency, Philly acquired the savvy veteran Ryan Kerrigan, who hunted down NFC East QBs for ten years in Washington. Kerrigan expects to bring a high motor and superb playmaking at key moments to Eagles nation. 

Kerrigan will prove to bring dividends to the Eagles defense and potentially be an upgrade at the DE spot opposite Graham. The signing of the former Washington profile, combined with Washington opting to retain Brandon Graham, makes many believe that Barnett is out of the loop. However, I still believe the verdict of Eagles offseason decisions at pass rusher does not take Barnett out of the big picture, nor do I believe it’s the best idea to trade the 25-year-old DE. Let me begin.

• Brandon Graham and Ryan Kerrigan are extremely aging

Brandon Graham is a legendary Eagle and a Super Bowl hero. However, Graham is 33 years old and his contract expires after 2022. Graham has shown to be productive (eight sacks in 2020), but his motor, experience, and talent will only last so long. Graham appears to be ending a Hall Of Fame Eagles career in 2-3 years.

Ryan Kerrigan, the notable and popular FA signee at DE, is 32 years old himself. Kerrigan may provide quality moments and help bring forth a powerful pass rotation to Eagles, but it’s very possible that he also doesn’t outperform Barnett at this stage in his career. Kerrigan is coming off a 5.5 sack season in 2020 and he also only flashed 5.5 sacks in 2019. There’s a strong likelihood that Kerrigan will be of similar caliber to Barnett, except Barnett is several years younger. 

• Barnett has showed positive growth

The former first round pick DE had a career high of sacks in 2019 (6.5). His 2020 campaign wasn’t glorious, but he did capture 5.5 sacks while missing three games. It’s crystal clear that Barnett’s career is trending in the right direction. 

The Eagles are also confident in Barnett’s potential, as they opted to pick up his fifth year option. If Barnett takes a step forward in 2021, it would be hard to not accept his talent and outlook amid an aging pass-rushing group. 

• Trade compensation would not be worth it

If Barnett is involved in trade discussions, I don’t believe the Eagles would get his full worth in exchange. A team would likely offer “a mid-round pick” or a second round pick (in a rare case) for his services. The Eagles are fully aware that he’s coming off a season of a near-significant injury and he’s a talented asset early in his career. 

There’s a real possibility that Barnett unleashes a seven to eight sack season in 2021. I believe it would be the right move to keep and extend a young, talented, and productive edge player versus trading him at this time. 

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