Howie Roseman’s Top Five Offseason Moves Ever
Post Super Bowl, the Eagles and the rest of the NFL have hit somewhat of a dull period. However, in just a few short weeks, things will soon start to pick up with an abundance of offseason acquisitions and moves by all 32 teams.
For the Eagles, its up to Howie to start making moves to help this team going forward. In the past, he’s made a multitude of trades, draft picks, and free-agent signings that has helped the Eagles in a number of ways. Here’s a look at what Howie has done in the past, and his five best offseason moves.
1) Trading and Drafting for Carson Wentz (2016)
Its no surprise that this is the best move that Howie has made during his Eagle tenure. After a lackluster and unpromising season with Sam Bradford under center, it was clear the Eagles needed a new face at QB. Sitting with the 13th pick in the 2016 draft, Howie needed to make a splash to land one of the top Quarterback prospects, and that he did. First, moving up to the 8th pick by trading underperforming players in Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell, Howie then fleeced the Browns, moving into the 2nd slot of the draft. Despite having to give up multiple resources, it did not outweigh the promise of Carson Wentz in the slightest.
In just the three years of being in Philly, Wentz has proved to be an All-pro talent and capable of bringing the franchise success. Obviously, before his injury in 2017, Wentz had a dominant, MVP type season, while also leading the Eagles to a 12-2 record. Without him, the Eagles are not in position to win Super Bowl LII, nor the position for success in the near future. By changing the culture and identity of the Eagles as a whole, attaining Wentz is by far the best move Howie has made.
2) Hiring Doug Pederson (2016)
Before Wentz was brought into the equation, the Eagles hired the inexperienced, Doug Pederson to become the new face of the franchise. Hiring Pederson in the very beginning of the Eagles offseason, it was clear Howie saw something in Doug that the rest of the league, and country did not. The new head coach, titled “The least qualified NFL coach in history”, did get off to a shaky start in his first season, but this was soon swept away with the success he’s brought in the past two years.
With his combination of gutsy play-calling and advanced schemes, Doug Pederson has brought enormous success to the Eagles. Leading the team to blowouts throughout the 2017 regular season, he then dominated fellow Coach of the Year candidate, Mike Zimmer, in the NFC Championship. As if that wasn’t enough, Pederson then called the game of his life, out-coaching the best coach of all time, Bill Belichick in Super Bowl LII, hanging 41 points on the Patriots defense, while also commanding the most memorable play in Philadelphia sports history; the Philly Special.
While bringing in Doug was somewhat of a risky move to begin with, its clear Howie knew what he was doing all along. Due to his unrivaled success, Howie’s decision to bring in Pederson lands among the top of this list.
3) Bringing Back Nick Foles (2017 & 2018)
By now everybody and their mother knows the story of Nick Foles; contemplates retirement, comes back to Philly, miraculously brings the Eagles their first Super Bowl. However, none of this is possible if Howie doesn’t go out a limb to bring the Quarterback back to Philly. Upon bringing him to the organization simply as a veteran for the locker room and Quarterback room, Foles obviously shattered all expectations. However, after his playoff run and Super Bowl MVP award, it was Howie’s decision to keep and rework Foles’ contract that was so great.
After last year’s Super Bowl, despite having the option to trade Foles for future picks and or players, Howie chose to stick with the guy that brought the organization so much success. Shutting down trade rumors that fluttered around the NFL, Howie reworked Foles’ contract, securing him another year in Philly as the reliable backup that he is. This decision, which to some seemed as a poor one, proved again to be correct, as late in the season Foles’ heroic play propelled the Eagles into the playoffs along with an exciting playoff win in Chicago.
While this move proved to have a huge impact on the Eagles this past season, it is slightly underrated. If Howie does decide to trade Foles for a pick or two last April, do the Eagles even finish this past season with 8 wins? No way they make the playoffs, or beat teams like the Falcons, Rams, Texans and Bears. For that, all credit goes to Howie.
4) Trading Sam Bradford to Minnesota (2016)
In a blockbuster trade, just 11 days before the opening game of the 2016 season, Howie shipped out Sam Bradford to the Quarterback-needy Vikings in return for a 1st round pick in 2017, and a 4th round pick in 2018. Along with getting two coveted draft picks for the coming years, Howie was also able to put the Wentz project in full force. Starting from Week 1-Week 17 due to this trade, Wentz was able to get a jumpstart on the NFL and what it takes to be a successful quart back in this league, something that would help him in the long term. Moreover, Howie was able to get two valuable draft picks in the trade, gaining a 1st round pick in 2017, something they previously did not have, as well as an underrated 4th round pick.
With these draft picks the Eagles were able to attain two valuable players that would have an outstanding impact on the Eagles Super Bowl campaign. The 1st round pick they gained turned into Derek Barnett. Over the course of his short time in Philly, Barnett has turned into a starting Defensive end, making countless plays, including a strip sack on Case Keenum in the NFC Championship, as well as recovering the Brandon Graham Strip sack in the Super Bowl. Then, indirectly, the Eagles were also able to get Jay Ajayi out of this trade, as they traded the 4th round pick they got from the Vikings for Jay Ajayi last season. Ajayi, during his time with the Eagles, has been the featured back, and helped the Eagles offense en route to their Super Bowl victory.
All in all, with giving Wentz an early look into NFL experience, as well as bringing in valuable players through the draft, this trade is easily one of Howie’s best and most influential moves he’s made as General Manager.
5) Locking up Franchise Pieces (2016-Present)
Throughout his time as General Manager, Howie has done a fantastic job of both bringing guys to Philly, as well as keeping them there. This is none more clear than with the contract extensions of multiple franchise talents, including Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, and Alshon Jeffery.
Coming up on three years ago, Howie locked in All-Pro defensive lineman Fletcher Cox on a ridiculous, 6 year, 103 million dollar contract. While surprising to some, to Roseman and others in the front office, this was all money that Cox deserved, and was needed to keep him in Philly. By keeping him with the Eagles, Howie created one of the best defensive lines in football, constantly disrupting passers and making plays in the backfield.
In that same 2016 offseason, Howie also made the decision to extend cornerstone Right Tackle, Lane Johnson, through 2021. While he’s experienced some hiccups along the road such as his PED suspension, Johnson has been outright one of the best tackles in football over the last three years. Without him, its tough to imagine a successful Eagles offense, proving how important his contract extension was.
Lastly, securing Alshon Jeffery on a four year contract extension seems to be worth while, to say the least. Throughout the past two years, Jeffery has solidified himself as a true #1 receiver, and has brought success to the Eagles offense as a whole. Catching 3 touchdowns in last year’s playoff run, along with 6 touchdowns this year, Howie’s decision to keep him for the near future seems to be paying off tremendously.
During his time as General manager of the Eagles, Howie Roseman has been able to create a winning franchise with room for success in the near future. Also, while this simply lists five of his most influential moves, as GM Howie has made hundreds of moves for this franchise. Lets see what he has for the Eagles in store this season!
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