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Eagles' Derek Barnett is rushing to change his approach

The rookie defensive end is looking to add to his arsenal of pass-rushing moves.

Eagles’ rookie Derek Barnett, center, stretches during the Eagles 2017 training camp at the NovaCare complex in Philadelphia, PA on July 26, 2017.
Eagles’ rookie Derek Barnett, center, stretches during the Eagles 2017 training camp at the NovaCare complex in Philadelphia, PA on July 26, 2017.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

If Derek Barnett were a pitcher, then the speed rush would be his fastball. But the Eagles defensive end, like power pitchers who must develop second and third pitches as they advance, is learning that he can't rely solely on his top move now that he's in the NFL.

"It's a move I like and I liked to use a lot in college," Barnett said. "It worked for me, so I'll still continue to use it up here. But you're going against [tackles] who are a lot better, so a lot of guys can take that move away."

Barnett said he used two or three pass-rush moves at Tennessee. But his speed rush, when he would turn the corner on tackles  —   and bend almost like a speed skater navigating a turn —  was so effective against collegiate tackles that he often didn't need to toss in a change-up or two.

The rookie will naturally keep the speed rush as his No. 1 move. Having Barnett throw fewer fastballs than off-pitch pitches would be like asking Aroldis Chapman to become a junkballer. But Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who loves a baseball metaphor as much as anyone, knows that Barnett must have an arsenal if he is to excel at the next level.

"It all works off of his edge rush, and you have to keep guys honest," Schwartz said Tuesday. "There are a lot of times in college you can live off of one move. You get to the NFL and guys are going to take that one move away and you're going to have to have a counter to it."

Barnett is working on it. But he isn't overloading his dish. He said he's working to improve his secondary moves from college  —  the bull rush and the one-arm "stab"  —  and add an inside spin. Like a fire-throwing reliever, elite edge rushers only need a few moves.

"You can't have 10 moves," Barnett said. "You've got to know what you're good at, know what you're not good at."

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During the second practice of training camp, still two days before the full squad was set to report, Barnett continued to hone his rush before he must face the likes of Jason Peters and Lane Johnson. Pitted against Victor Salako in one-on-one drills on Tuesday, Barnett attempted to bait the undrafted rookie with an edge rush before spinning inside.

"You're too wide," defensive line coach Chris Wilson snapped as Salako blocked Barnett to the ground. "You're afraid of confrontation."

Wilson was challenging the Eagles' top draft pick. No one who has watched Barnett's college film would think that he was ever "afraid of confrontation." But the rookie understood his coach's language and the intended message.

"Basically what he was telling me was the space between me and the tackle  —  close it as quick as possible," Barnett said, "because if I'm not doing that, I'm just giving him more time to sit there."

If Salako is winning those early battles, imagine how Peters and Johnson will do once the players are in full pads and Barnett must fend for himself against the starters. Imagine how he'll fare once he faces tackles from other teams in just a few weeks.

"They've seen a lot of pass rushers. They know," Barnett said. "They just got little tics and I can't give away nothing during my rush because they're going to pick up on it because they're already seen it. I couldn't come to a better place to practice against those two guys."

Almost no one, of course, expects Barnett to come in and have it all figured out. For edge rushers, it often takes two, three, four and sometimes five years before they deliver upon expectations, even for first-round picks like Barnett.

In the previous seven drafts, there were 32 edge rushers selected in the first round and the average number of sacks in their first year was 4 1/2. For every Von Miller (11 1/2 sacks) and Joey Bosa (10 1/2) there was Melvin Ingram (one) and Marcus Smith (zero). Ingram is the perfect example of an end who needed more than three years to hit his stride. Even Khalil Mack, who is considered a top-five edge rusher now, had only four sacks in his first season.

Sacks are just one part of the equation, and Barnett knows that he will have rundown responsibilities as well. But he isn't projected to start and most of his early opportunities are likely to come on passing downs when Vinny Curry needs a breather on the right side. With Curry, Brandon Graham, and Chris Long already at end, Barnett isn't under pressure to make an immediate impact.

"Watching those guys if I'm not in, I can take mental rep," Barnett said. "I'm always talking to B.G. and Chris. Those guys  —  they've played in the league a long time. I can pick up on little keys."

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Barnett appears to be absorbing as much as he can. During an interview, he comes off as quiet and introspective, and it's not just because he's wearing Miller-like black eyeglasses. He said he plans to heed the advice of his older teammates and not overcomplicate the game.

"He's at a good starting point," Schwartz said. "He's got a definite toolbox to use. But there are other things that we talked about that he can add to his arsenal."

He'll get plenty of opportunities over the next six weeks to work on refining his moves. And even if his secondary rushes aren't quite there by the start of the season, he shouldn't lose sight of what propelled the Eagles to draft him in the first place. His fastball may already be up to snuff.

"I know what I'm good at," Barnett said, "but I just technique-wise need to clean up some stuff. It's just repetition."