Philadelphia Eagles GM Roseman And A Lesson In Roster Renovation

The Philadelphia Eagles’ season of winning was well underway by the time games began.

Executive vice president/general manager Howie Roseman conducted a master class in reorganization and revitalization in the offseason after the defending NFC champion Eagles fell apart in the final months of 2023, dropping from contenders to easy prey.

The result: a return to prominence — and dominance — with the addition of new coordinators on both sides of the ball, four free agents signees who moved into starting roles and a productive draft that landed a pair of starters.

Roseman made a strong case to win his third executive of the year award from the Pro Football Writers of America, although the group landed instead on Detroit executive vice president/general manager Brad Holmes for the second straight year. The Sporting News has yet to make its selection.

Roseman won the PFWA in 2017 and 2022, most recently after the Eagles’ 14-3 season that led to a Super Bowl appearance against Kansas City, which won 38-35.

The Eagles, 14-3 again, will meet the Chiefs in a rematch in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

Eagles’ Remake Started Near the Top

Roseman’s redo started with veteran assistants in high places. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore were added to bring new voices and schemes. The defense, in particular, had taken a hard fall in 2023.

“Coach Vic, I don’t know what he sees, but that man is a mastermind,” Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith said before a 55-23 victory over Washington in the NFC title game that included four takeaways.

The Eagles were No. 26 in the league in total defense and No. 30 against the run in 2023, when Fangio spent the season as Miami’s defensive coordinator. He was an Eagles consultant in 2022 after a going 19-30 in three seasons as the Denver Broncos’ head coach, his first head job.

The improvement has been remarkable. They Eagles enter the Super Bowl ranked No. 1 in total defense and scoring defense and No. 2 against the pass. Their 26 takeaways and plus-11 turnover margin both rank sixth.

A change was necessary. Opponents averaged 145 yards rushing per game in the final two months of 2023, when the Eagles lost six of their final seven games after starting 10-1. The Chiefs had 168 yards rushing in the Eagles 21-17 regular-season victory, and the Arizona Cardinals had startling 221 yards rushing in handing the Eagles a 35-31 loss in the penultimate game of the season.

Moore, considered a top candidate for the vacant New Orleans Saints’ head coaching job, built around halfback Saquon Barkley behind a shuffled offensive line that did not seem to miss a beat after Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce retired. Barkley has an NFL-record seven t0uchdown runs of at least 60 yars this season.

The Eagles are second in rushing offense and seventh in total offense. They are averaging 186.6 yards per game rushing, a jump of 62 yards from 2023 and a number that furthers the narrative that games are won up front. The top six rushing teams this season made the playoffs.

Roseman also made sure to keep left guard Landon Dickerson in place in the offseason, re-signing him to four-year, $84 million contract.

Winning the Free Agent Marketplace

Barkley was the plum of free agent class, signing a three-year, $37.75 million contract after spending the previous six seasons with division rival the New York Giants.

The Eagles had seen Barkley first hand, and he rewarded their faith with 2,005 yards rushing in a league-high 345 carries, the ninth 2,000-yard season in NFL history. He also invented a new move, the backward hurdle, the highlight of the year.

While Barkley is the obvious headliner, the Eagles received key contributions from linebacker Zach Baun, cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson and guard Mekhi Becton. All seamlessly plugged into the starting lineup, and Baun joined Barkley on the AP All-Pro team. Both also were named to the All-Pro team chosen by Next Gen Stats analytics.

All were reasonably cost-effective. Baun signed a one-year, $3,5 million contact after spending 2020-23 with the New Orleans Saints. Gardner-Johnson received a two-year, $27.5 million deal to return to the Eagles, where spent the 2022 season.

Becton, a former No. 1 pick of the New York Jets, signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract after spending four years with the Jets. Becton took over at right guard after Cam Jurgens moved to center, with Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata manning the tackles and Dickerson at left guard.

Mining the 2024 Draft

Defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean made an immediate impact after being the Eagles’ first two choices in the draft, Mitchell at No. 22 of the first round and DeJean at No. 40 overall in the second round. The Eagles moved up 10 spots in to take DeJean after trading with Washington.

Mitchell developed into a shut-down corner and after nickel back DeJean was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 6, the Eagles allowed only 4.2 yards per play while in nickel personnel, according to Next Gen, which would have been the fewest over a full season in league history since the stat was first charted in 2016.

DeJean was another Next Gen All-Pro, along with Barkley, Baun and right tackle Lane Johnson.