Derek Barnett is on the move again, and this latest stop sends the former Tennessee star to Cleveland.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the veteran defensive end is signing a one-year deal with the Browns that can be worth up to $5.5 million. It’s another chapter in a career that keeps circling back to familiar themes: production, staying power, and a path that started in Middle Tennessee before it ever reached the NFL.
Barnett’s football rise began in the Nashville area, where he starred at Brentwood Academy and won Tennessee Mr. Football twice as a lineman.
That kind of resume made him one of the state’s most decorated defensive prospects long before college recruiters got involved. He came into Tennessee as a four-star recruit, and the Vols beat out LSU, Ohio State and Texas A&M to keep him close to home.
Once he got to Knoxville, Barnett didn’t waste time making his mark. As a true freshman in 2014, he set an SEC freshman record with 10 sacks.
He kept climbing from there, and by the end of his junior season in 2016, he had totaled 33 career sacks, still the Tennessee record. That year he also earned consensus All-American honors after leading the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss.
That kind of production made his jump to the NFL a natural one. Philadelphia took him 14th overall in the 2017 draft, and he won a Super Bowl as a rookie. He spent seven seasons with the Eagles before moving on to the Houston Texans for the last three years.
Barnett also had one of those moments that sticks with fans: a fumble return touchdown against the Titans in Nashville, a homecoming of sorts in his own backyard.
Cleveland is getting a 30-year-old defensive end entering his 10th NFL season, and the Browns made the move official by signing Barnett and placing DE Alex Wright on injured reserve. For a player whose career has always been built on getting after the quarterback and showing up every snap, this is another chance to do what he’s done since Brentwood and Tennessee: line up and go full speed.
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Through two preseason games, Aguilar has completed 10 of 11 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown, a start that keeps him firmly in the mix. He still has one more exhibition game to strengthen his case, and for a Jaguars team sorting out the back end of the quarterback room, his rise has made that final evaluation a tougher one. [Read more 🡒]
Former Vol Joey Aguilar Is Making A Real NFL Roster Push
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Aguilar completed 9 of 10 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 29-yard scoring strike to rookie wide receiver Trebor Pea. For a quarterback trying to force his way onto the Jaguars' roster, it was the kind of efficient performance that gets attention in a crowded competition, even if the final call still has to be made. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Scrimmage Put One Key Vols Battle Back In Focus
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Faizon Brandon also flashed the running ability that can add another layer to Tennessees offense, but the job still appears unsettled at right tackle. Ory Williams and Jesse Perry remain locked in a competition there, and it is the sort of battle that can quietly shape how smooth everything else looks once the season starts. For now, the Vols have a few encouraging signs and at least one starting-caliber decision still waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]