Eagles’ Derek Barnett out vs. Vikings; Josh Sweat looks to make his debut
Derek Barnett, who has 2.5 sacks in four games, suffered a shoulder injury at Tennessee and will miss Sunday's game.
Second-year Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett, who has 2.5 sacks in four games, suffered a shoulder injury at Tennessee and will miss Sunday's game against Minnesota. This will be the first game Barnett has missed as a pro, excluding the meaningless 2017 season finale against Dallas.
Barnett's absence probably means that 6-foot-5, 251-pound rookie Josh Sweat will make his NFL debut. Sweat has been inactive for three of the first four games. He was active against the Colts but did not get on the field.
"I'm ready to go. … Ever since I've been here, I've been practicing for that opportunity," said Sweat, a fourth-round pick from Florida State. "It may be actually coming."
Sweat said coaches told him coming out of the preseason that his biggest problem was "getting my eyes in the right spot. Young guy trying to make plays and stuff, you're looking everywhere. Other than that, extending my arms and locking people out."
Sweat said he has learned a lot practicing against the first-team offense, "getting to go against Pro Bowlers every day." He said he is more explosive and has better hands than when he arrived back in the spring.
Veterans such as Michael Bennett and Chris Long also figure to get more snaps with Barnett out. Bennett also can swing to defensive tackle, where Haloti Ngata was listed as questionable for Sunday with a calf injury.
Barnett, the team's first-round draft choice in 2017, played 76 percent of the defensive snaps against the Titans. He is averaging 65 percent of the snaps for the season so far. His fourth-down sack of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck sealed the Eagles' Week 3 victory over Indianapolis.