Report: Former Eagle Connor Barwin to sign with NFC East rival

According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, former Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Connor Barwin is expected to sign with the New York Giants. 

Barwin himself confirmed the report: 

Throughout the Chip Kelly era, Barwin was one of the most valuable members in Billy Davis' 3-4 defense because of his versatility. Barwin could cover, rush the passer, and play the run, but was not a dominant player when doing any of those things.

In his first three seasons with the team, Barwin posted very good numbers overall. However, in Jim Schwartz's scheme, Barwin was asked to beat left tackles mano-e-mano, which was not his strength. Here were Barwin's numbers in his four years with the Eagles:

 Connor BarwinTackles Sacks FF Pass breakups / batted passes 
 201359 10 
 201464 14.5 
 201554 
 201634 2 


Playing in a defensive scheme that has historically been very stat-friendly for defensive ends, Barwin posted the worst numbers of his Eagles career in 2016, across the board. Though he was a good person off the field, releasing him to save $7,750,000 in cap space during the 2017 offseason was a no-brainer decision.

In Barwin's next stop in Los Angeles with the Rams, in what seemed like a good match, he played in a 3-4 scheme under Wade Phillips, appearing in 14 games and starting 13. He had 34 tackles and 5 sacks. 

In New York, Barwin will join a team transitioning to a 3-4 defense that is in desperate need for more edge players.


Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice

Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports

Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader