Seems like he’d be a logical fit for the Eagles!
The Eagles are riding a seven-game winning streak, but as they look toward their postseason goals, there’s a new, immediate need for some depth at defensive end.
Brandon Graham is out for the season, and Bryce Huff is on IR for at least three more games, leaving Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and rookie Jalyx Hunt as the remaining edge rushers. The team does have Tarron Jackson and newly signed K.J. Henry on the practice squad, but that’s a pretty young group without BG mixed in. Unfortunately, since the trade deadline has already come and gone, the veteran options at OLB/DE are limited for the Eagles.
All that being said, there’s been an interesting development. On Tuesday morning, Adam Schefter reported that LB Shaq Barrett has applied for immediate reinstatement from retirement.
Former Pro-Bowl LB Shaq Barrett, who announced his retirement from the NFL in July, has applied to be reinstated to play immediately, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. Barrett is coming out of retirement. The Dolphins currently hold Barrett’s contractual rights. pic.twitter.com/sImEbWJ4Ni
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 26, 2024
Barrett played nine years in the NFL, four in Denver and then five in Tampa Bay. The two-time Super Bowl winner retired the summer following the 2023 season, and finished his career totaling 400 total tackles, 125 QB hits, 59.0 sacks — including a league-leading 19.5 in 2019 —, 22 forced fumbles, five fumbles recovered, and three interceptions.
After playing in 2023 for the Buccaneers, Barrett actually ended up signing with the Dolphins in free agency. He ultimately retired in July instead, and never played a down for Miami. Still, the Dolphins are currently who he’s contracted with as he works toward being reinstated. In order for Barrett to find his way to Philly — or any other team — he would first need to be waived by the Dolphins and clear waivers before being able to sign.
Howie Roseman is known as one of the best GMs in the league for a reason, and there’s no doubt that he scoured every potential option to bring in an edge rusher — it’s not crazy to think that Howie called Barrett’s agent to gauge his interest in returning to the game. Even if that is the reason Barrett asked to be reinstated, there’s still a lot that would need to happen to add him to the roster.
