How Howie Roseman Got The Philadelphia Eagles To Where They Are Today
Image Credit: AP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PSF) - As we have now reached the conference championship round in the 2022-2023 NFL season and playoffs, only four of the best teams in the league remain. Representing the AFC is the Cincinatti Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, while on the NFC side of things we have the San Fransisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
In the preseason, it was pretty safe to say and a safe bet for most that at least three out of the remaining four teams would be here. That being the Chiefs, Bengals, and 49ers. However, most did not see the Eagles playing for a conference championship on their home field at the end of January, besides their General Manager Howie Roseman.
To put it simply, over the past few league years, Roseman has built the best, well rounded, and most complete team in football. To the diehard Eagles fans, this is no surprise to them as Philly gets another opportunity to play a meaningful game in their current season, as the same goes for fans of the 49ers, Bengals, and Chiefs. At the end of the day, it is no coincidence that the four best rosters in the league are battling it out for two spots in the big game in February.
So, what has Roseman done to get the Eagles to where they are today? Well, that is what I will be breaking down in this article position by position.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz
There is no question that quarterback is the most important position on a football team. After an MVP caliber season in his third year as Philadelphia’s lead signal caller, Roseman has found himself a franchise quarterback in Jalen Hurts, who is also now well regarded as one of the game’s best. At the time of when he was drafted, many questioned Rosemans decision to draft Hurts when Carson Wentz was still on the roster at the time. Looking back on it now after three years, it is safe to say that Roseman definitely made the right decision in drafting Hurts and giving him the keys to the franchise.
While Hurts has cemented himself as the Eagles quarterback of the future, his success this season would not be possible without the All-Pro play of his offensive line. Hurts’ line play is not a testament as to why he has played so well this season, but more so a massive one to Roseman for using his resources properly in order to keep his quarterback upright more times than not. At left tackle protecting his blindside, Hurts has Jordan Mailata who is already one of the top left tackles in the league in his fifth season who Roseman selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 233rd overall pick. To Mailata’s left stands Landon Dickerson who has already emerged as one of the better left guards in football who Roseman also selected in the draft with the 37rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Alabama. The future hall of fame center in the middle who holds everything down is Jason Kelce, the league’s top center at age 35 who has aged like a fine wine who Roseman, like Mailata, was able to snag in the sixth round of the 2011 draft out of Cincinatti with the 191st overall pick. Finishing out the line stands sixth year vet Isaac Seumalo at right guard who Roseman took in the third round of the 2016 draft, and future hall of fame right tackle Lane Johnson who doesn’t let the opponents best pass rusher ever get to Hurts.
Finding value throughout the draft, that has been a key to Roseman’s roster building and how Philadelphia has been so good up front this season.
Moving to the outside, Roseman has surrounded Hurts with a plethora of weapons. Hurts’ WR1, AJ Brown, was traded from the Tennessee Titans to Philadelphia during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft where Tennessee received the number 18 overall pick which turned out to be Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks and the number 101 overall pick. After the trade went through, Philadelphia inked Brown to a four-year, $100M extension and is arguably the reason why the Titans just fired their General Manager Jon Robinson. After Brown, Hurts also has the slim reaper DeVonta Smith who Roseman had to trade up for in order to acquire in the 2021 draft who has solidified himself as one of the better WR2’s in the league. Again, finding value from or through the draft, one of Roseman’s best qualities as a General Manager. At tight end, Hurts has Dallas Goedert who is a top 10 tight end who was drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft and has been a perfect replacement for former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. It also doesn’t hurt when your starting running back Miles Sanders who you also drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft has had his best career year up to date with over a thousand rushing yards on the ground, even though the running back position is way less valuable than receiver in today’s NFL.
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On the defensive side of the ball, Roseman has assembled one of, if not the best front four in the game. From left to right, starting with thirteen-year vet Brandon Graham who is on his way to Canton and has been with Philly for his whole career, Philadelphia’s defensive line keeps quarterbacks and Offensive Coordinators up late at night. Very much like how Kelce is the man in the middle for the offensive line who holds everything together, Fletcher Cox is that way on defense who has been a cornerstone piece for the franchise for the past decade plus. On the right side of the line is Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat who make opposing quarterbacks’ life miserable when trying to get the ball past the line of scrimmage who Roseman brought in from Pittsburgh and the draft respectively.
The linebacker position consists of Kyzir White, T.J. Edwards, and the X factor of the defense in Hasson Reddick who is having a monster season in his first year in green who Roseman was able to sign in free agency this past offseason. In the secondary, Philadelphia has the best cornerback duo in the league in James Bradberry who Roseman was able to pouch away from the Giants in free agency this past offseason since New York did not have enough money to sign him, and Darius Slay who Roseman had to trade for from Detroit, and much like the AJ Brown deal, has been a massive win so far. Not to mention, Philadelphia also has a damn good safety duo led by C.J. Gardner-Johnson who was also signed in free agency last offseason and has been nothing but phenomenal and UDFA Reed Blankenship who finds himself starting in a confernece championship game in only his first season.
In football, you win games though dominating in the trenches, which is certainly something Roseman specializes in and has been building to do for the past decade plus. Showing how wise, long term, and forward thinking he is as a General Manager.
What cannot be underlooked in Roseman’s tenure as General Manager for the past decade plus in Philadelphia has been his ability to hire the right Head Coach. Most notably, Doug Pederson who is the only Super Bowl winning coach in franchise history, and now Nick Sirianni who looks to bring a second title back to Philly in a few weeks.
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Without question, Howie Roseman has cemented himself as one of the best General Managers in the National Football League. Between drafting, free agency, trades, and coaching hires, Roseman has checked all of the boxes for what you look for in your GM. At first to NFL fans this season it didn’t look like the Eagles would be here, but now they are, thanks to their genius General Manager who has set the foundation for roster building and how to build a consistent and sustainable Super Bowl worthy roster year after year. Take a bow, Howie.
