Eagles acquire Kenjon Barner from Panthers for conditional pick

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced a deal where they have sent a conditional 7th round pick in 2015 to the Carolina Panthers for running back Kenjon Barner.  Barner played his college football at Oregon, so he is now reunited with his college coach Chip Kelly, who has said that Barner will add depth as a back and give them more options at returner.  The conditions of this deal are not yet clear, but more than likely will be based on whether Barner makes the final roster.

Effectively, the Eagles gave up nothing for a tryout player if they just end up cutting Barner.  Should he make their roster, Barner knows Kelly’s offense and could have an opportunity to make an impact at a few different positions as the Eagles look for players that can bolster their backfield behind LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles.

Barner is in the same type of mold as McCoy and Sproles as a smaller, quicker back that can catch the ball out of the backfield and play in space, which is what Kelly wants.  Nevertheless, Barner will be competing with players including undrafted rookies Henry Josey, David Fluellen and veteran Chris Polk for carries in the backfield, so his best bet to make the team could be on special teams as a return threat.

For Carolina, the deal more than likely represents an opportunity to get something for nothing as this deal likely means that they would have cut Barner anyway.  This way, the team could get an extra draft pick if the Eagles keep him and if not, the Panthers could get Barner back if they chose or simply more on to other options.