Connor Barwin's Versatility a Huge Asset for Philadelphia Eagles Defense

One week, Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Connor Barwin is sacking Eli Manning. The next, he’s covering Larry Fitzgerald. Another week, Barwin is stuffing Arian Foster short of the first-down marker. On Monday, he was spying on Cam Newton, among other responsibilities.

GM	TKL	SK	PBU	FF
Wk 4 @ SF	7	1.0	0	0
Wk 5 vs. STL	4	2.0	1	0
Wk 6 vs. NYG	5	3.0	0	1
Wk 8 @ ARZ	2	0.0	0	0
Wk 9 @ HOU	3	1.0	2	0
Wk 10 vs. CAR	8	3.5	0	0

With 6.5 sacks in two nationally televised prime-time football games a mere 30 days apart, Barwin has become a household name almost overnight. At 10.5 sacks for the season—tied for second in the NFL—the 28-year-old, sixth-year veteran is almost certainly headed to his first Pro Bowl.

Yet Barwin is so much more than just another pass-rusher. As little as two months ago, sacking the quarterback wasn’t the first or possibly the second and maybe not even the third skill Barwin would’ve been best known for around the league, depending on who you asked.

In case this article is your introduction to Barwin, though, since signing a six-year contract with the Eagles during the 2013 offseason, he has been a Swiss Army knife of sorts. A linebacker by trade, the former Houston Texan is frequently asked to carry out tasks traditionally left to defensive linemen, oftentimes even defensive backs.

This was especially true last year, when Philadelphia was transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 alignment. Barwin was the only outside linebacker on the entire 53-man roster with experience in a 3-4, which in some respects made him the most important member of the defense.

As long as we're being honest, not a great deal has changed since.

After all, defensive coordinator Bill Davis couldn’t ask Trent Cole or Brandon Graham to drop into coverage with any regularity, certainly not with any confidence at least. They were career 4-3 ends transitioned to 3-4 linebackers, and no matter how well they've adapted, there was and is a learning curve.

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As a result, no 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL dropped into coverage more than Barwin in ‘13, according to the game-charters at Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—roughly 50 percent of the time. But while he was quite good at it, occasionally fronting Hall of Fame-caliber receivers such as Fitzgerald, there's was far more to the job than that.

Barwin was strong when setting the edge or shedding blocks against the run. He has an instinct for getting his arms up in passing lanes and batting down throws at the line of scrimmage. And, yes, he did show some ability to get after the quarterback as well.

Barwin finished second on the team with 5.0 sacks in ’13, and again, that was rushing the passer roughly half the time. That number was well short of the career-high 11.5 set with the Houston Texans in ’11, but he wasn’t necessarily billed as a dominant pass-rusher upon signing his reported six-year, $36 million deal, either.

YR	TKL	SK	PBU	INT/FF
2014	35	10.5	4	0/1
2013	59	5.0	10	1/1
2012	44	3.0	5	0/0
2011	47	11.5	7	0/1

Now, all of a sudden the man is on a rampage, with all 10.5 of his sacks this season coming in Philadelphia’s last six games, along with three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Barwin has transformed into the definition of a one-man wrecking crew.

The numbers couldn’t possibly do Barwin’s full-impact justice. When he doesn’t get to the quarterback, he’ll hurry him. If he doesn’t hurry the quarterback, he’ll jump into the passing lane. That’s if Barwin isn’t using his freakish 6’4”, 264-pound frame to do battle with 300-plus-pound offensive tackles on the edge or cover athletic tight ends and receivers downfield.

Not too long ago, Barwin might’ve been one of the NFL’s best-kept secrets. Now he might as well be packing his bags for Honolulu or wherever the league holds the Pro Bowl these days.

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But while double-digit sacks is always impressive, Barwin means much more to the Eagles defense than just another pass-rusher. There isn’t a more versatile linebacker in Philadelphia or perhaps in the entire NFL today.

Barwin might be considered the catalyst for a pass rush that ranks second in the NFL with 32 sacks, but he means a heckuva lot more to the unit than a bunch of numbers. He's a moveable chess piece that gives Davis the freedom to scheme to his other players' strengths.