Connor Barwin - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Announce Numerous Updates To Front Office

June 9th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles announced a host of changes to their front office staff this week. While the litany of moves was mostly comprised of promotions and title changes, three new hires were announced, as well.

In the front office, Bryce Johnston continues to rise through the ranks as he heads into his ninth season with the team. After seeing a promotion to vice president of football transactions and strategic planning last year, Johnston now sees a promotion to senior vice president/tertiary football executive. Jeff Scott also earned a promotion with his title changing from director of football operations to vice president of football operations going into his fourth season with the team. Katie David, going on 17 seasons in the Eagles’ football operations department, has gone from football operations director to chief of staff to the general manager.

Dom DiSandro has added a new title to his position. Serving as senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer in 2023, the Eagles will add the moniker of gameday coaching operations to his job. DiSandro was involved in a sideline incident with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw that resulted in the ejection of both parties and the banning of DiSandro from the sidelines for the subsequent game. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer posits that the new title may be a preliminary measure to prevent similar discipline should any future sideline incidents occur.

Adam Berry, twin brother of Browns general manager Andrew Berry, is also receiving a promotion. After coming to the NFL after a career at Goldman Sachs last year, Berry goes from vice president of football operations to vice president of football operations and strategy. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Connor Barwin continues to work his way up the executive ladder, as well. Named the team’s player development director in 2022, Barwin will now serve as head of football development and strategy. Also a former player who retired after signing a reserve/futures deal with the team, Matt Leo earned a promotion from defensive/football operations assistant to player development assistant.

The football operations new hire is Isabel Pantle, who joins the team as a quantitative analyst. Pantle previously served as a player personnel analyst intern for the Ravens in 2022.

In the player personnel department, Charles Walls and Alan Wolking have both been named vice presidents of player personnel. Walls was hired as the Eagles’ director of player personnel in 2022 after two years as a national scout for the Browns. In the same year, Wolking had been promoted to director of player personnel, as well. Wolking is entering his 14th season with the team. Filling the vacated role of director of player personnel will be Phil Bhaya, who previously served as director of college scouting. Bhaya will have Jeremy Gray, as well, after Gray’s promotion from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant director of player personnel. Terrence Braxton joins the group as player personnel coordinator after a promotion from football operations coordinator.

On the scouting front, Brandon Hunt was promoted from director of scouting to senior director of scouting as he enters his 20th year of scouting experience. Ameena Soliman, who added the director of personnel operations title to her pro scouting duties in 2022, will now serve as director of football operations while continuing to work as a pro scout. Also, former mid-Atlantic area scout Cam Bradfield has been assigned a different area for this season. In 2024, Bradfield will cover the southwest area.

The other two new hires mentioned above were in the scouting department, as well. Laurel McHale has been hired on as a full-time scouting assistant after working last year as a player personnel and scouting associate intern. Lastly, Duke Tobin Jr., son of the Bengals’ director of player personnel for the last 25 years, was also hired as a scouting assistant. He first connected with the team as a training camp scouting intern before working a seasonal job as a player personnel associate.

Eagles Announce Front Office Changes; Rod Streater, Ben Ijalana Join Scouting Staff

June 3rd, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

After seeing one of the more offseason significant brain drains in recent memory take place, the Eagles announced how they will move forward without the front office talent they lost.

Philadelphia saw four executives become assistant general managers elsewhere — Ian Cunningham (Bears), Brandon Brown (Giants), Catherine Raiche (Browns) and Andy Weidl (Steelers) — and have moved forward without former GM Tom Donahoe and director of scouting operations Casey Weidl. Had the Steelers not hired Andy Weidl as their assistant GM, the Eagles would have aimed to retain him — despite his brother’s firing — according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman (subscription required). But the team announced Friday its revamped front office.

Jon Ferrari and Alec Halaby are indeed Howie Roseman‘s assistant GMs. The Eagles have not used that title in recent years, but offering it certainly aids in retaining key staffers. The team hired longtime Steelers pro scouting director Brandon Hunt to accompany the in-house risers as a top Roseman lieutenant. Joining Andy Weidl, Omar Khan and others as a finalist for the Pittsburgh GM job, Hunt is now Philadelphia’s director of scouting. The Eagles were interested in adding Hunt back in 2016, and the veteran Steelers staffer will now play a key role in the NFC East franchise’s reconstructed front office.

Connor Barwin, who joined the Eagles during the 2020 offseason, will be the team’s player development director. Fellow recent retirees are among Philly’s new hires. Former Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater will join the Eagles as their northeast area scout. Streater, who played in the NFL from 2012-18, went to college in Philadelphia (Temple). Streater, 34, spent time as a Browns scout, working under former Eagles exec Andrew Berry, since retiring. The Eagles also hired ex-Jets and Colts tackle Ben Ijalana, 32, as a scouting assistant. Ijalana, who also went to college in Philly (Villanova), played from 2011-19.

Fellow recent hires Matt Russell and Jordan Dizon will serve as a senior personnel advisor and a national scout, respectively. The Eagles also hired Jeremy Gray as their assistant director of pro personnel. Gray previously worked at the University of Arizona. He is the son of longtime NFL assistant Jerry Gray. Let go from Washington’s staff last year, Jeff Scott also received a promotion with the Eagles; he is now their director of football operations. Scott was with Washington for nine years.

The Eagles also promoted Alan Wolking from college scouting director to director of player personnel and gave former Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell a more official title. Caldwell, who joined Roseman’s staff last year, will now serve as a senior personnel director and an advisor to the GM. Previously, Caldwell simply carried a “personnel executive” title. Max Gruder will rise from assistant pro scouting director to the top of that department, while Ryan Myers will move from an area-scout gig to the assistant scouting director post. An eight-year Eagles staffer, Phil Bhaya will climb from the area-scout level to the team’s director of draft management.

Eagles Add Connor Barwin To Front Office

January 17th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connor Barwin will transition into the personnel side of the game. After being rumored to be a consideration for an Eagles staff role, the former edge rusher will join the team as special assistant to the GM, the team announced.

Barwin, who announced his retirement late last year, will work in a scouting role during the offseason and shift to development during the season. This marks a fairly quick transition for the 33-year-old retiree, who played four seasons with the Eagles.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman signed Barwin as a free agent in 2013, and the former Texans edge player racked up 31.5 of his 56.5 career sacks as an Eagle. He later played for the Rams and Giants but did not suit up during the 2019 season.

This job offer emerged after Barwin contacted Roseman about a role with the organization, according to the team. Over the second half of this season, the 10-year veteran and current Philadelphia resident played a role in assisting some of the Eagles’ younger players. Barwin has begun the scouting part of his job, attending East-West Shrine Game practices and is ticketed to do the same at the Senior Bowl.

“I’m done playing football, but my football career is not over,” Barwin said during an interview with PhiladelphiaEagles.com’s Dave Spadaro. “I want to stay involved. I want to help this team wherever I can and also learn the other side of the game from the coaches and the personnel side.”

NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Giants, Barwin

January 8th, 2020 at 9:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike McCarthy being hired so soon points to the Cowboys being confident he will coax more from their talented roster than Jason Garrett did, and ownership looks set to give its new HC more power. McCarthy will not only have greater input on roster decisions than he did in Green Bay but will hold as much influence in this area as Bill Parcells did three coaches ago in Dallas, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News and Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). It was not a secret McCarthy and ex-Packers GM Ted Thompson did not see eye to eye on the latter’s aversion to free agency additions, so it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys proceed now that McCarthy will possess greater influence than Jason Garrett or Wade Phillips did on this front.

Here is the latest from Dallas and other NFC East cities:

Jerry and Stephen Jones kept Garrett in the loop on their plans, notifying the since-displaced head coach they planned to interview McCarthy. “[Jason] said, ‘You’re not going to meet anybody more special than Mike. I love his story, I love him. he’s great,’” Jones said. Attempting to explain the delay in parting ways with Garrett, Jerry Jones said he sought a “soft landing” for his 10-season HC. Stephen Jones said the Cowboys’ deliberate actions were “in line with what Jason wanted.”
The Cowboys only interviewed McCarthy and Marvin Lewis for their coaching job. No other interviews were scheduled, Werder tweets.
Bret Bielema is expected to be in the mix for the Giants‘ defensive coordinator role under Joe Judge, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. Judge is believed to have most of his staff selected, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, who notes said staff will likely include several coaches with more NFL experience than the 38-year-old HC. The former Wisconsin head coach, Bielema spent 2018 as a Patriots consultant and coached the Pats’ defensive line this season.
Not long after Connor Barwin announced his retirement, the pass rusher may be set to transition into a staff role. The Eagles may be in the process of bringing Barwin in for a personnel role, per Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link). This may mean a scouting job for the 33-year-old ex-Eagles linebacker. Barwin played four seasons with the Eagles, from 2013-16, arriving early in Howie Roseman‘s GM stay.

Connor Barwin Announces Retirement

October 15th, 2019 at 8:28am CST by Zachary Links

Connor Barwin is hanging ’em up. This week, the longtime NFL pass-rusher announced his retirement from the sport.

“[On Tuesday], I turn 33 and after a decade of playing the greatest sport there is, I’m excited to say I’m moving on to the next chapter of my life,” Barwin wrote on social media. “To my coaches, teammates, fans, and family – thank you all! It was an honor to compete on Sundays for the last ten years. Houston, Philadelphia, LA, and New York – couldn’t have dreamed of a better journey. Thank you for the good times and all the support!”

Barwin enjoyed some of his best years with the Eagles from 2013-2016 and lobbied for a return late in the summer. That never came to fruition and Barwin is ready to move on to life after football.

Barwin’s very best season came in Philly in 2014 when he racked up 14.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl, and earned second-team All-Pro honors. He signed a one-year deal with the Rams in 2017, and, although he had five sacks, his performance wasn’t well-regarded by the advanced metrics. Then, Barwin signed a two-year deal with the Giants before the 2018 season but didn’t make waves in New York, either.

While things didn’t necessarily end on a high note, Barwin leaves the game after an impressive total run. He notched 56.5 sacks across ten NFL seasons for the Texans, Eagles, Rams, and Giants, and that’s plenty to celebrate on his 33rd birthday.

Connor Barwin Wants To Play For The Eagles, Plans To Sign Soon

June 28th, 2019 at 6:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s getting pretty late in the free agency process and pass-rusher Connor Barwin hasn’t signed yet, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t planning on playing in 2019. During a recent interview with Heavy.com, the veteran revealed he still wants to play, and that he even has a specific team in mind.

“I’m trying to come back and play for the Eagles,” Barwin said. “I’m training right now and I’ve talked to [Eagles GM] Howie [Roseman] and they’re going to see if they need any depth on the edge and so I’m going to wait until camp starts before I sign anywhere else, but obviously I’m not going to wait too long. But the Eagles know that’s where I want to be.”

Barwin was with the Eagles from 2013 through 2016 and had some of his best years with the team, so it makes sense why he wants to return. By far the best season of Barwin’s career came in Philly in 2014 when he racked up 14.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. He was also a second-team All-Pro that year. He signed a one-year deal with the Rams in 2017, and although he had five sacks he was a bit of a disappointment.

He signed a two-year deal with the Giants last offseason and was an even bigger disappointment in New York, getting released back in February. He took a meeting with the Dolphins last month, but nothing materialized. In his one season with the Giants he made only three starts, and finished with just one sack. Barwin is 32 now, but still thinks he has something left in the tank. That being said, he understands he won’t be signing anywhere in an every-down role.

“I’m going into my 11th year and I’m ready to just be a situational player. Howie knows. I’ll be there if one of the three guys get hurt or if something happens, or to mentor the younger guys,” he said. Barwin said his preference is the Eagles, but that if they pass he won’t hesitate to go elsewhere. “Me and Howie are talking. I might wait a week into camp, but that’s about as far as I’m going to wait. Other teams are going to be like, ‘You better sign now or we’re going to sign someone else.’ If not, I’ll try to go to another contender. I would love for it to be in a good situation where I can contribute,” he continued.

While Barwin is clearly over the hill, he seems confident that he’ll be able to find a team. There will probably be a club looking for some veteran pass-rushing help, and after Philadelphia traded away Michael Bennett this offseason it’s quite possible it’ll be the Eagles.

Dolphins Meet With Connor Barwin

May 15th, 2019 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

Veteran defensive end/outside linebacker Connor Barwin will visit with the Dolphins on Wednesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks Barwin’s first known interest since his official release from the Giants in February.

The Giants first decided to part ways with Barwin in late January, but the move was not finalized until later on in the winter. Barwin hooked on with the Giants late last summer and, at the time, it seemed as though he’d have a significant role on defense. Eventually, his playing time dwindled. The 32-year-old (33 in October) appeared in 15 games but started in just three and had just one sack to his credit in 2018.

Barwin’s best days may be behind him, but he has 56.5 career sacks to his credit and a whole lot of knowledge to share with the Dolphins’ younger defenders.

Giants Release LB Connor Barwin

February 4th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s officially official. On Monday, the Giants released linebacker Connor Barwin, per a team announcement.

The Giants first decided to part ways with Barwin in late January, but the move was not finalized until Monday afternoon. Barwin joined the Giants on July 25 at the start of training camp and, at the time, it seemed as though he’d have a significant role on defense. Eventually, his playing time dwindled. The 32-year-old appeared in 15 games but started in just three and had just one sack to his credit in 2018.

If Barwin wants to continue playing, he should be able to find a market for his services. He may have to settle for something near the veteran’s minimum, but he’s already earned big bucks throughout his career.

Before his release, Barwin’s 51 sacks were the highest of any player on the Giants’ roster.

Giants, Connor Barwin To Part Ways

January 29th, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

Connor Barwin will not return to the Giants next season. The veteran outside linebacker still has one more year to go on his contract, but the two sides will be “parting ways,” according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Reading between the lines, it sounds as though Barwin will be released before his $250K roster bonus hits on March 7. His two-year, $3.5MM deal calls for him to carry a $1.865MM cap number in 2019 if he stays on the roster. By releasing him, the Giants would save $1.5MM against just $365K in dead money.

The Giants appreciate Barwin’s experience and leadership, but they want to take a longer look at younger players, Raanan hears. With 56.5 career sacks, it’s likely that Barwin will draw interest elsewhere, assuming that he wants to continue playing.

Barwin’s playing time dipped as the season progressed, a sign that the Giants did not have him in their long-term plans. The 32-year-old appeared in 15 games but started in just three and had just one sack to his credit in 2018.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Barwin, Beckwith, Saints

July 23rd, 2018 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Jimmy Garoppolo entering his 49ers training camp, he’s not expected to receive an abnormal workload this preseason. Even though Kyle Shanahan has cited the time it takes for quarterbacks to become sufficiently assimilated in his system, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required) backup C.J. Beathard is likely to receive most of the reps during preseason games. The 49ers figure to have an ulterior motive by doing this, with Barrows writing San Francisco will want to trade Beathard for draft compensation at some point before his rookie contract expires. They will be intent on showcasing the 2017 third-rounder as much as possible as a result. The Iowa product completed 54.9 percent of his passes, with four TDs and six INTs, as a rookie before Garoppolo supplanted him as the Niners’ starter.

It’s camp-reporting week. Here’s the NFC’s latest:

Connor Barwin will be counted on to be one of Olivier Vernon‘s sidekicks this season, but his Giants agreement is not merely a one-year pact. Barwin agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This will be Barwin’s fourth NFL team, with the Giants following the Texans, Eagles and Rams. A Pro Bowler with the 2014 Eagles, Barwin’s done his best work in 3-4 defenses — which the Giants will now use. Both of Barwin’s double-digit sack seasons (2011 and 2014) came in this set.
Chris Thompson said Monday he will avoid the Redskins‘ PUP list. Washington’s passing-down back broke one of his fibulas in November but has worked his way back. He’s expected to remain the Redskins’ receiving back. “I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Thompson said during a Sirius XM Radio interview (via PFT). “I will start practicing with the guys from Day 1 but just taking it slowly. The focus is to really be ready by that first regular-season game.”
Kendell Beckwith will not, however, avoid the Buccaneers‘ PUP (Twitter link, via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com). The young linebacker fractured an ankle in a car accident in April and underwent surgery. The immediate timetable tabbed Beckwith as unclear for Week 1, while a summer update indicated he might be ready in time for camp. Beckwith won’t meet that goal, it appears, but it’s not certain if he’s going to miss all of Tampa Bay’s camp.
Despite being a newcomer and coming off an ACL tear, Cameron Meredith looks like the frontrunner to claim the Saints‘ No. 2 wide receiver job, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com notes. Playing with quarterbacks who aren’t in Drew Brees‘ stratosphere, Meredith caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four TDs in 2016. Third-round rookie Tre’Quan Smith may also be a threat to diminish Ted Ginn and Brandon Coleman‘s playing time as well, per Katzenstein, though it’s hard to envision Ginn (53 receptions, 787 receiving yards last season) being squeezed out of a significant role. He’s owed $4.5MM this season.