Philadelphia Eagles waive defensive end Derek Barnett
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After seven seasons with Philadelphia, defensive end Derek Barnett has been waived by the Eagles.
The announcement comes just two days before the 9-1 Eagles are set to take on the 6-5 Buffalo Bills.
"The Eagles organization would like to thank Derek for his contributions to this team over the last seven seasons," the team said in part in a statement. "He has been a great teammate who always played with high energy and effort. We wish Derek nothing but the best."
Though Barnett's had a quieter 2023 season following an ACL injury in last year's opener against the Detroit Lions, he was one of the most instrumental players in the Birds' Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots.
During the game, Barnett, a rookie at the time, recovered a fumble forced by Brandon Graham against Tom Brady. Philadelphia went on to score a field goal with that possession, bringing the game's final score to 41-33.
This season, Barnett played with the Eagles in their first eight games but was inactive for recent matchups against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. In two previous games against the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders, Barnett lined up for a total of 14 defensive snaps.
Throughout his career in Philly, Barnett played in 78 regular season and playoff games, accounting for 159 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, 81 quarterback hits and 196 quarterback pressures, according to the team.
In 2019, two years after he was drafted by the Birds, Barnett started all 14 games.