The Houston Texans took advantage of the Philadelphia Eagles’ riches on Monday and claimed defensive end Derek Barnett off waivers.
Barnett, the former 2017 first-round pick from Tennessee, played seven seasons with the Eagles and had accrued 21.5 sacks over 73 games. He hadn’t started a game for Philadelphia since the 2021 season and had somewhat fallen out of favor in a stacked defensive line group.
Reportedly, Houston even attempted to trade for Barnett prior to the trade deadline. The team desperately needs depth at the defensive end positions after young edge rushers Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard. The duo has combined for 44 and 41 pressures and 10 total sacks but behind them, options are quite scarce after veteran Jerry Hughes (24 pressures, 1 sack)
Barnett has played only 46 pass rushing snaps this season for Philadelphia. He’ll have the opportunity to grow that number exponentially in Houston, especially as rookie Dylan Horton remains out with injury.
The Texans considered trading for Derek Barnett before the NFL’s Halloween trade deadline last month; instead they claimed him on waivers. https://t.co/RhwMDIXJY9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 27, 2023
Head coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense was able to generate only seven pressures and no sacks against the rival Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday. Houston will need contributions from players like Barnett if they want to threaten with legitimate AFC powers moving forward and take the leap from 6-5 to the wild-card round.