Eagles’ Howie Roseman could enter Hall of Fame if he wins another award: ‘I forgot how great he was’

PHILADELPHIA — If eagles They won their second Super Bowl in February, head coach Nick Sirianni and his assistant coaches will receive much praise. quarterback jalen hurtsI’m running back Saquon Barkleywide receiver A.J. Brown and other Eagles players could receive more credit.

For the third time in the last eight years, the Eagles were able to play in the Super Bowl with a different group of players and coaches. Here’s why the Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman – who has held this position since 2010 – deserves the most credit for his accomplishments.

Roseman has once again built one of the NFL’s best rosters and could be rewarded for it.

“Watching last night I forgot what a great manager Howie Roseman is and you can put him at the top of the Manager of the Year list.” NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said on ESPN’s “NFL Live”: a day later Eagles defeat Commanders 26-18 on Thursday.

Roseman, a two-time NFL Executive of the Year Award winner in 2017 and 2022, could be inducted into the Hall of Fame if he wins the award a third time and wins another Super Bowl this season. His resume is comparable to other Hall of Fame general managers. Jim Finks And Tex Schramm.

He built the Eagles’ 2017 and 2022 Super Bowl teams (the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57). He made several moves this offseason that will help them become a Super Bowl-caliber team, including signing Barkley and linebacker. Zack Baun.

The 8-2 Eagles have won six straight games against Washington. Philadelphia allowed a league-low average of 273.1 yards per game and had the fourth-best offense (379.9 yards per game) after 11 weeks.

Many of Roseman’s big moves in recent years have paid off.

Therefore, these results are not surprising.

Here are some of Roseman’s best moves since 2022 (excluding the AJ Brown trade) that helped the Eagles become a Super Bowl contender this season:

Stealing Barkley from the Giants

Barkley, who played the first six years of his career New York GiantsHe signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles in March; that’s the annual salary most No. 3 wide receivers make.

He became arguably the best offensive player in the NFL in the first half of the season.

Barkley leads the league in rushing yards with 1,137 yards and is poised to break the single-season rushing record of 1,312 yards he set in 2022.

The Eagles’ offense can get crazy at times, but that’s always temporary.

Barkley saves them by making ridiculous plays that most players wouldn’t make. He scored two consecutive touchdowns against the Washington defense in the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles a 16-point (26-10) lead with less than five minutes remaining.

In past years, Roseman has been reluctant to spend bonus money on running backs. But he deviated from that philosophy to add Barkley, who is considered one of the best running back candidates of all time.

Pairing Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean

Heading into the offseason, the Eagles’ biggest need was cornerback. Roseman was drafted into the army quinyon mitchell I was selected in the first round Cooper DeJean to strengthen the position in the second round.

As rookies, Mitchell and DeJean developed into high-level starters.

Mitchell shuts down No. 1 wide receivers, including Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He leads all cornerbacks in forced completions and hasn’t given up a touchdown this season.

DeJean earned the 10th-best Pro Football Focus grade (78.1) among NFL cornerbacks this season.

Drafting five Georgia players in a row

Philadelphia’s defense is playing at a championship level. When Roseman drafted five Georgia players from the 2021 and 2022 championship teams in back-to-back drafts, he predicted they would be impact players on an elite defense.

Defensive tackles jalen carter And Jordan Davisdefender Dean of Nakobe and edge rusher Nolan Smith They played well this year. corner Kelee Ringo He is the only former Bulldog who did not make a major impact.

Selected 9th overall in the 2023 draft, Carter has All-Pro talent. He destroyed the Commanders’ offensive line in Week 11 and dominated other games as well.

Davis, the No. 13 pick in the 2022 draft, holds the point of attack against interior offensive linemen, preventing them from moving to the second level to block Dean and Baun.

A third-round pick in 2022, Dean collected 76 tackles, two sacks and one interception in his junior season.

After a disappointing rookie season, Smith made major improvements in his second season. He finished with 3.5 sacks and 24 tackles in 10 games.

Signing one-year deals with Zack Baun and Mekhi Becton

Baun, who signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Eagles in March, became an All-Pro candidate in his first season starting at linebacker. Now Roseman can sign him to a long-term extension.

After four seasons as a backup offensive lineman with the New Orleans Saints, Baun became an inside linebacker with the Eagles and earned a starting job. He collected 102 total tackles, three forced fumbles, two sacks and one interception this year.

Mekhi Becton, who previously played for the Jets for four years, also turned his career around with the Eagles. He moved from offensive tackle to defensive tackle during training camp and has steadily improved.

Finding Jason Kelce’s replacement

Some were concerned the Eagles wouldn’t be able to replace Jason Kelce, the six-time All-Pro center and the team’s all-time leader in consecutive starts (145), but that hasn’t been an issue.

Roseman drafted in 2022 Camera Jurgens He will replace Kelce in the second round. Jurgens has made impressive blocks this season, including against Commanders where he blocked the safety Jeremy Reaves He took the field twice in the fourth quarter, with Barkley scoring a 39-yard field goal.