NFL Rumors: Eagles waive first-rounder, Aaron Rodgers return, Commanders coaching carousel

NFL Rumors: Eagles waive former first-round pick Derek Barnett

The Philadelphia Eagles hold the best record in the entire NFL (9-1) after they came back to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 21-17 in Week 11. The team is in a prime position to win the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the second consecutive season. But there is one player who won't be making the trip back to the playoffs with them.

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Eagles waived defensive end and former 2017 first-round pick Derek Barnett. Schefter reports that Barnett is expected to garner interest and will find a new team for the rest of the season.

Barnett's departure from the Eagles isn't necessarily shocking. Ahead of the 2023 season, Barnett requested a trade from the team, but nothing came to fruition, even by the Oct. 31 trade deadline. The reason for the trade request was so Barnett could play meaningful snaps on another team. Now, he gets that opportunity following his waiving.

This season, Barnett recorded three total tackles and two run stops on 99 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Those snaps were significantly fewer than fellow edge rushers Josh Sweat (501), Haason Reddick (489) and Brandon Graham (189).

The question that remains is where Barnett will spend the rest of the 2023 campaign. Will he be claimed off waivers? Or will Barnett have the chance to choose where he wants to play? We should get an answer in the coming days.