Eagles stay or go: Defensive end

Now that the Philadelphia Eagles' 2021 season is over, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at which players will likely be back with the team in 2022, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll look at defensive end.

In previous offseasons, we've tackled each positional group "in order," as in, quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, and then onto the defense. Just as a quick programming note, I'm going to jump around a little more this year, so if you're wondering if you missed the quarterbacks, no, we haven't published that one yet.

On the polls below, they are your votes on what you think the Eagles should do, not necessarily what you think they will do. Please think of them more as approval polls.

Previous stay or go articles:
Jonathan Gannon | Nick Sirianni | Running back | Wide receiver

Brandon Graham

Graham was easily the best player on the Eagles' defense through the first half of the 2020 season, but his production faded down the stretch:

Brandon Graham	Tackles (TFL)	Sacks	FF	QB hits
First 8 games	21 (9)	7	2	11
Last 8 games	14 (4)	1	0	5

In 2021, Graham tore his Achilles Week 2 against the 49ers, exposing the Eagles lack of depth at DE the rest of the season. Because his injury occurred in September, Graham should be good to go in plenty of time before the 2022 season. To be determined if the Achilles injury will hamper his explosiveness, but there's little doubt that he will do everything in his power to be in the best shape possible to play.

Graham will turn 34 in April, and while he is a good player, he has become an invaluable leader off the field. His contract makes him immovable this offseason, but even if it weren't, the Eagles would be highly unlikely to move on from him anyway. Howie Roseman confirmed that Graham isn't going anywhere.

"We miss BG the player, and there is nobody who can replace BG, the person, the leader that he is as well," Roseman said during his year-end press conference. "We know he's attacking this rehab. We see him every day around here. And he has a chip on his shoulder, and we do see a role for him going forward, and we are excited to get him back next year. He's a huge part of our football team."

It's true that Graham was around the building quite a bit. For a guy who suffered a season-ending injury, he was spotted very frequently in and out of the building during the season, even stopping by on occasion to chat with reporters, and offer his opinions on the good and bad of the Eagles' season.

#JimmyVerdict: BG will probably be around through at least 2023, if he doesn't retire before then. Stay.

Eagles stay or go: Brandon Graham

Derek Barnett

While he contributed as a rookie during the Eagles' Super Bowl run in 2017, in Barnett's first four seasons in the NFL (from 2017-2020), he had just 19.5 sacks, a number that falls short of reasonable expectations of a guy picked 14th overall.

Some of Barnett's lack of production was attributed to injuries, as he missed 10 games in 2018, two games in 2019, and three games in 2020. He also probably wasn't 100 percent in many of the games he played those seasons.

In 2021, his first truly healthy season in years, Barnett had eight penalties and 2.5 sacks. Eagles fans can take some solace in knowing that they weren't the only ones frustrated by Barnett's constant mistakes, as Nick Sirianni was caught on camera mouthing, "It's always him" after a Barnett penalty.

During the 2020 offseason, the Eagles exercised Barnett's fifth-year option, and he counted for $10,051,000 on the 2021 salary cap, for a while anyway. They subsequently converted about $9 million of his salary into a signing bonus, and dumped that money into future years, lowering his cap number in 2021 to $2,802,200. If Barnett walks in free agency this offseason, he will count for $7,248,800 in dead money on the Eagles' cap in 2022.

#JimmyVerdict: Let him walk. Go.

Eagles stay or go: Derek Barnett

Josh Sweat

Sweat had something of a breakout season in 2020, when he had 38 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and 12 QB hits in a reserve role. If you'll note, none of his six sacks were gifts. They were all earned with good rushes, often against top tier left tackles.

Sweat followed up his 2020 season with an outstanding training camp in 2021, earning a three-year extension worth $40 million (up to $42 million) after Week 1 of the regular season. He finished with 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He was easily the Eagles' best pass rusher in 2021, though that was a low bar, despite often having to play the Brandon Graham role in Jonathan Gannon's defense, where he was not a great fit.

#JimmyVerdict: Sweat is talented and still growing as a pass rusher. I don't think he has hit his ceiling yet. With Barnett likely gone this offseason, Sweat should get more opportunities at RDE in 2022, and I expect that his numbers will continue to improve.

Eagles stay or go: Josh Sweat

Ryan Kerrigan

Playing on an awful Washington team for a decade, Kerrigan quietly was one of the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL, racking up 95.5 sacks and 26 forced fumbles in 10 seasons. He was also a thorn in the side of the Eagles over the years, racking up 13.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, 24 QB hits, 51 tackles, and three fumble recoveries against the Birds in 19 career games.

When the Eagles signed Kerrigan during the offseason, the fit was kind of odd, in that he was a 33-year-old edge rusher joining a team that was not going to contend for a Super Bowl. However, he was inexpensive enough (1-year contract, $2.5 million) that the signing was justifiable.

During the season, it became clear that Kerrigan was washed. He played 330 snaps during the regular season, making just three (!) tackles and no sacks. In the playoff game against the Bucs, he turned into Khalil Mack for the day, picking on backup RT Josh Wells, and posting 1.5 sacks.

#JimmyVerdict: The Eagles' biggest need this offseason is at edge rusher, and Kerrigan is among the players who needs to be replaced. Kerrigan will join a list of oddball players like Art Monk, Mark Bavaro, Richard Dent, Haloti Ngata, etc., who had great careers but played for a short time with the Eagles at the end and did very little. Go.

Eagles stay or go: Ryan Kerrigan

Tarron Jackson

After a shaky preseason as a rookie, Jackson appeared in every game, playing 253 snaps during the regular season, and 15 snaps in the playoffs. He totaled 18 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

#JimmyVerdict: Assuming the Eagles are going to have to replace Barnett and Kerrigan this offseason, Jackson could currently be considered the No. 3 DE. He'll likely fall down the depth chart some as the Eagles acquire more DE talent this offseason, but he's obviously a player the Eagles like to some degree and should be back on the roster this season. Stay.

Eagles stay or go: Tarron Jackson

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