By Annie Ross
The Eagles are concentrating on Sunday night’s NFC East showdown in Dallas, but the real question is:
Will Connor Barwin still be an Eagle after Tuesday’s NFL trading deadline?
A 3-4 linebacker masquerading as a 4-3 defensive end, Barwin’s impact has been limited this season, as was his production last year after a career year in 2014.
He’s 30 years old, which means 2014 may have been his peak, but he’s still an ultra-athletic defender with a handful of good years left, and his dead cap money next season is just $600,000, making him an easy cut for whoever trades for him in case his production slips again next year.
Barwin is expendable in the Eagles’ eyes because of all the defensive end talent they have at their disposal: Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are two starter-worthy players, Marcus Smith is showing flashes of improvement this season, and with Taylor Hart (I know, I know) and Steven Means on the team, the defensive line would hardly suffer. If teams call about Barwin, Howie will likely listen, and I would bet something could get done.
