NEWSLETTER
This is the time of year when multiple facets of my sports brain are working together at the same time. The NFL season is around the corner, college football already started its shenanigans, and MLB’s playoff races are heating up. When my baseball and football brains converge, I often think about the parallels between the importance of pitching depth (on the baseball side) and defensive line (on the football side).
The wheels began turning in my head when I saw this tweet from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. High-profile NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Fowler he is sniffing around for potential landing spots in a trade featuring his client — Philadelphia Eagles defensive Derek Barnett. Wouldn’t this be something if Barnett hit the market?
Barnett, 27, was an Eagles first-round pick in 2017. He has played 65 games (45 starts) in six seasons and tallied at least 5 sacks in three of his first four years. No, Barnett hasn’t taken off as the type of game-changing pass rusher you’d expect to take with the 17th overall pick in a given draft class. But there are tools worth working with, a unique prospect pedigree, and perhaps some untapped upside. Particularly for a team like the Chicago Bears that could use all the defensive line help it can get.
Let me be clear. I’m not banging the table to get Ryan Poles’ attention and push him toward swinging a trade for Derek Barnett. However, I like the idea of kicking the tires on Barnett’s availability.
There is nothing wrong with inquiring about the price of doing business. In fact, I’d encourage it. Barnett is still relatively young and in that age range generally considered to be an athlete’s prime. Plus, this situation checks a bunch of boxes for the Bears. Chicago’s football team still needs pass-rush help. Its front office includes Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, who was in the Eagles’ organization as Philly’s Director of College Scouting (2017-18), Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2019-20), and Director of Player Personnel (2021). And their general manager, Ryan Poles, has gone outside of the box to plug some depth needs in his years running the show. In other words, the Bears are uniquely positioned (and motivated) to give Barnett a longer look than most.
How could the Bears trade for Derek Barnett?
As for what a trade could look like, this tweet from my friend Danny Meehan (who’s a fun follow during football season) sparked an idea in my head. Trading Trevis Gipson and a 6th-round pick for Derek Barnett is the kind of deal that could satisfy the needs of both teams. And it would help out a pair of players who appear to be looking elsewhere for their next gig. Remember, there was chatter this weekend about Trevis Gipson’s trade request. As much as I’d like to come out as the clear winner of a given trade, my favorite deals are the ones where both teams get what they’re seeking. A possible Bears-Eagles trade could be that kind of deal.
For what it’s worth, a Bears-Eagles deal centering around Barnett is something we’ve kicked around before. Check it out what we had to say in May:
Barnett, 26, is the most interesting of the options. And not just because of Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham’s long-standing ties to the Eagles. But, hey, we’ve seen the Eagles and Bears do business a few times recently so perhaps that could help grease the skids in possible trade talks.
My only hangup with a possible Eagles-Bears swap is that I struggle to envision Philly trading someone like Barnett during their most competitive window. Remember, the Eagles held onto Andre Dillard even though he would’ve netted a decent return because the team saw value in depth along the offensive line. Based on how Philly has built both sides of its lines, I imagine they feel similarly about the value of having depth along the defensive line.
Yep. All of this still tracks.
I circle back to the thought that sparked this post in the first place. There are certain position groups where there is no such thing as having too many players at said position. In the NFL, one of those position groups is the defensive line. Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker were wonderful free-agent signings. That tandem bolsters the starting lineup and raises the floor for this front seven. But the Bears’ depth at defensive end is currently lacking.
Don’t get me wrong. I like that the depth options include Rasheem Green and Dominique Robinson. Green is a young veteran with some worthwhile playing experience. Robinson is a toolsy athlete who is still in the early phases of development. This team, as currently constructed, isn’t in a position to be dismissive about adding edge help. So they should consider giving Philly a call. Maybe they won’t like what they hear, but you don’t know if you aren’t willing to open your mind to different possibilities.
