Derek Barnett downgraded to out for Eagles vs. Chiefs

There’s been one change to the Eagles’ depth chart as the team prepared to make their way to Kansas City for the Monday night matchup with the Chiefs. The team announced that defensive end Derek Barnett was downgraded to out for personal reasons.

Barnett’s absence won’t change much for the defensive end rotation. The veteran was a healthy scratch in the Dallas Cowboys game ahead of their bye week, and didn’t see a lot of snaps in the first eight games of the season.

There were reports that the DE was hoping to be traded ahead of the deadline due to his reduced workload, but Nick Sirianni at the time mentioned that they have a role for Barnett on this team. Still, in his eight games, he’s had just three total tackles and one tackle for loss, as he’s taken 20 percent of the defensive snaps, and 23 percent of the snaps on special teams.

Barnett’s absence could potentially mean a bigger role for 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith and/or Patrick Johnson.