Nick Sirianni was asked about the Eagles' controversial decision to bring back defensive end Derek Barnett.
"Derek Barnett is everything that embodies what we want in the characteristics of a player," Sirianni told the media at the NFL annual league meeting in Florida on Tuesday morning. "He's tough, he's competitive, he's got high football IQ, he's got high character, he loves football. And I love Derek Barnett. I love the type of player that—and the type of person that he is."
The Eagles re-signed Barnett to a two-year deal just five days ago, causing quite a bit of reaction among Eagles fans and media.
Barnett, 25, is coming off a disappointing 2021 campaign where he finished with a career-low two sacks and 11 QB hits, becoming infamously known for bad penalties along the way.
Related
Another controversial decision the Eagles made, was to bring back Fletcher Cox on a one-year, $14 million deal just days after releasing him in order to save money.
The 31-year-old, six-time Pro Bowler is also coming off of a down year, where he recorded just 3.5 sacks.
"We believe in Fletcher Cox, we believe in Derek Barnett," Sirianni said. "Fletcher Cox is still dominant in the run game, he's still a dominant player in the run game that could stop the run. And he still can get after the passer.
"We just felt like they fit what we want as not only as a player, but as a person and as a teammate so I'm excited to get those guys back in the roles that they're going to play this year on our team."