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The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold in 2013 when they were able to bring Connor Barwin onto the team. He brought much needed pop to the outside linebacker position, racking up 26.5 sacks in the three years he’s been here.
But I think his time is coming to an end, and soon.
Now that Jim Schwartz has moved this team back to a 4-3 alignment, I question how productive Barwin is going to be. He’s not a defensive end, never has been. And he’s never been a linebacker in a 4-3 setup, where the intricacies of the position are just enough to be a major difference. Barwin’s $7.3 million salary is a lot to pay for a player who doesn’t really fit anywhere.
Where would he go? Well, it’s no secret the Eagles are looking for a draft quarterback. It’s no secret that Chip Kelly sits directly in front of the Eagles and could use a quarterback himself. It’s also no secret that the Baltimore Ravens are right in front of him, and they love outside linebackers who can get to the quarterback.
It is increasingly possible that if one of the top quarterback prospects slips to No. 6, the Eagles will decide not to risk Kelly nabbing that passer. They take the No. 8 pick and Barwin and pull off a trade with the Ravens. The Ravens could certainly use a pass-rushing linebacker; behind Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, the cupboard is pretty bare.
And the Eagles would love to pull a trade up that wouldn’t involve any draft picks this year. They need all the picks they can get, and they’ve got their starters handled with Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry. Barwin’s too expensive to be a backup and with their army of second- and third-day picks, the Eagles can find a third rotational piece there.
If it means landing a potential franchise quarterback, I think the loss of Barwin is well worth the price. It’ll be sad to see him go, but hey, all good things come to an end. It might as well mean something.
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