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The Eagles GM aced the offseason and Philadelphia is a Super Bowl contender.
The Philadelphia Eagles are once again the top seed in the NFC, with aspirations of a second Super Bowl victory in six seasons. Jalen Hurts has elevated himself to an MVP-caliber quarterback, Nick Sirianni is a Coach of the Year candidate, and they’re as dominant in the trenches on both sides of the ball as any team in the NFL.
Longtime Eagles executive and current general manager Howie Roseman has had his fair share of critics, particularly focused in on some of his big draft misses, but he is primed for his second Executive of the Year award—his previous one coincided with Philadelphia’s first Lombardi Trophy. After a 9-8 season and a swift Wild Card exit, Roseman pushed all the right buttons to take that next step towards championship contention. These are some of the key decisions that turned a fringe playoff team into a 14-3 juggernaut.
The A.J. Brown trade
Philadelphia’s recent history with searching for star wide receivers has been… a mixed bag. JJ Arcega-Whiteside was taken seven spots before DK Metcalf in 2019, Jalen Reagor was selected one spot ahead of Justin Jefferson in 2020. The third time appears to be the charm with DeVonta Smith, who was taken with the 10th overall pick in 2021. Smith had more receptions this season (95) than Reagor and Arcega-Whiteside had combined (80) during their disappointing careers with the Eagles.
This offseason, Roseman eschewed drafting another receiver and instead used one of his first-round picks and a 2023 third-round pick to land superstar receiver A.J. Brown, who promptly received the four-year, $100 million contract extension the Tennessee Titans wouldn’t give him.
The early returns on this blockbuster deal are an undeniable success. In the regular season , Brown ranked third in yards/reception (17.0), fourth in receiving yards (1,496), and tied for third in receiving touchdowns (11), earning All-Pro second-team honors. Brown and Smith have quickly become one of the most dangerous receiving duos in the NFL. It’s just another example of a team stacking high-end receiving talent while a young franchise quarterback is still on a rookie contract.
Fleecing the Saints not once, but twice
Just three weeks before the 2022 NFL Draft, Roseman packaged two of his other first-round picks and received (among other picks, which we’ll bookmark for later) a 2023 first-rounder from the New Orleans Saints. The Saints finished just 7-10, giving the Eagles the 10th overall pick later this April.
As if that wasn’t enough, Roseman circled back around the block in late August and acquired safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for only a 2023 fifth- and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Gardner-Johnson finished the year tied for the league-lead with six interceptions, even while missing four of the final five regular season games with a lacerated kidney.
If I were the Saints front office I’d leave the phone alone if Roseman comes calling again any time soon.
Signing Haason Reddick and James Bradberry
The Eagles signed only one outside free agent to a multi-year contract last offseason: outside linebacker Haason Reddick. Coming off back-to-back seasons of double-digit sacks in Arizona and Carolina, Reddick agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal for what was essentially a homecoming for the Temple alum. On a team that boasts an astonishing four players with at least 10 sacks on the year, Haason topped the list with a career-high 16 on just 428 pass rush snaps. Only the expected Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa had more sacks than Reddick, who’s the first player in NFL history to record 10+ sacks in three straight seasons with three different teams.
When Steven Nelson departed for the Houston Texans in free agency, the Eagles were in need of a outside corner opposite the outstanding Darius Slay. Roseman brought in veteran James Bradberry to an incentive-laden one-year contract worth up to $10 million. Bradberry was let go by the New York Giants as a cap casualty, and their loss became Philly’s gain. It was another outstanding season for Bradberry, who had 17 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, and a 55.9 passer rating when targeted. Both Bradberry and Reddick were voted second-team All-Pro for the first time in their respective careers.
The additions of Reddick, Bradberry, and Gardner-Johnson were crucial in turning the Eagles defense from 25th by DVOA in 2021 to 6th this season and 1st against the pass.
The Carson Wentz trade
The biggest decision Roseman made didn’t spawn in the 2022 offseason. Remember that pre-draft trade with the Saints? One of those two first-round picks shipped to New Orleans was the conditional pick from the Indianapolis Colts as part of the Carson Wentz trade.
Philadelphia swapped selections 16 (Indy’s pick) and 19 (their native pick) for New Orleans’ 18th overall, which was flipped for… A.J. Brown. The Wentz trade also netted the Colts’ 2021 third-round pick, which Roseman used as part of a trade package with the Dallas Cowboys to move up two spots and take DeVonta Smith in that year’s draft.
Trading away Wentz and his terrible contract was the big mea culpa moment for Roseman; Philadelphia spent 2021 incurring what was then the largest dead cap hit in NFL history. It also led them to acquiring Smith, Brown, and the 10th overall pick later this April.
Not only has Roseman set up the Eagles for a Super Bowl run this season, he’s put Philadelphia in position to be a perennial contender in the long-term.
