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Howie Roseman Won The 2016 Offseason

By Matt Giraldi

Apr 29, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; From right to left Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and owner Jeffrey Lurie and quarterback Carson Wentz and vice president of football operations Howie Roseman pose for a photo as Wentz is introduced to the media at NovaCare Complex Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; From right to left Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and owner Jeffrey Lurie and quarterback Carson Wentz and vice president of football operations Howie Roseman pose for a photo as Wentz is introduced to the media at NovaCare Complex Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman has made the seemingly impossible possible this offseason. From shedding veteran contracts to trading Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, Roseman has quickly eviscerated the stench left by the Chip Kelly era.

With one week left until the Philadelphia Eagles begin the regular season, Howie Roseman put his final punctuation on the 2016 offseason. The Eagles traded incumbent starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2017 first round pick and a conditional 2018 fourth round pick. Lauding applause on Roseman’s feet is warranted not only for this move, but the cumulative changes brought forth since the firing of Chip Kelly 250 days ago.

When Roseman traded Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso to the Miami Dolphins, the collective NFL world was in disbelief. Following the trade of DeMarco Murray, it appeared that the Eagles were once again an organization run by professionals. With the trade of Bradford, the Eagles are sitting in a position of stability again. The team once again has a first round pick in a draft that will be hosted in the city of Philadelphia.

Of course, the argument is coming that the trophy case is empty and the Eagles are in a position of mediocrity. I am more than fine with that argument. Being in a position where an 8-8 record is progress is not satisfying for some. After all, the Eagles have finished below .500 only three times since 2000. However, that does not discredit the job that Roseman has done this year.

The Eagles had the 10th youngest roster in the NFL last season, according to Football Outsiders. The term “rebuilding” often coincides with mediocrity. Fortunately a young roster in the NFL doesn’t correlate to mediocrity. Four playoff teams last season ranked among the top-10 youngest rosters. This isn’t to say that the Eagles are a playoff team as they are currently structured, but it’s also not an indictment against them either.

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The Eagles have gotten back to the basics that allowed Andy Reid the opportunity to build a perennial contender. Lock up young talent, such as Fletcher Cox and Zach Ertz, and build around them. During Kelly’s tenure with the Eagles, home-grown developed talent was ushered out the door. System was viewed more heavily than the talent within. With Roseman at the helm, talent is once again being retained at discounted prices for elongated time periods.

It’s easy to be critical of the Eagles. Lane Johnson is still facing a potential 10 game suspension. Jason Peters is on his (figurative and literal) last leg. The wide receiving corps, despite Paul Turner making the roster, is a great unknown. These are just some of the challenges that Carson Wentz will have to deal with as the presumed starting quarterback. There’s also optimism however.

The Eagles allowed 38 points during the preseason. The defense gave up just four touchdowns to opposing offenses. Dorial Green-Beckham showed his red zone prowess in limited preseason action. Who traded for him again? The Eagles ran the ninth most offensive plays during the preseason, potentially negating the fears that Doug Pederson‘s offense would be more methodical than Kelly’s.

Think back to the feeling that many of us had during the beginning of the Kelly era. The anticipation of the unknown. We, as a collective fan-base, are right back to that point. The future is unknown. It’s not dire, merely unknown. New coaches and new personnel will aim to form a contender. Their work is made possible due to the creative genius of one man: Howie Roseman. While the slate is now cleared and every team in the NFL is sitting at zero wins and zero losses, Roseman is sitting atop the NFL world with the greatest win of the offseason. Now it’s time for his creation to produce where it counts.

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