Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman again taking heat for personnel decisions

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Poll most of the Philadelphia Eagles fan base about a particular subject, and you’ll be amazed at what you find. The approval ratings of the team’s owner (Jeffrey Lurie), general manager (Howie Roseman), and coach (Nick Sirianni) leave much to be desired, and that’s been the case for quite some time.

Most of the ire and some would say rightfully so, falls upon Eagles vice president and general manager, one Howie Roseman. Sure, he was hanging around the franchise in that same position when Philadelphia won the Super Bowl, but that was a long time ago, and Howie’s Pro Football Writers Association Executive of the Year Award is sandwiched between two stretches of mediocrity.

Ladies and gentlemen, as you might expect, that isn’t flying with the Eagles fan base or among members of the media.

The criticism of Howie Roseman continues.

Anyone looking to build a case against Howie Roseman and the job he’s doing wouldn’t need to work hard to find arguments to build their theory on. His offseason personnel decisions often haven’t worked out. The draft choices this team has made under his watch have been worse.

The argument can be made that everything came together for Howie once, in 2017, and heading into Week 5, as everyone watches underwhelming efforts from some of the players he’s added this offseason, criticism is again growing for the job he’s doing.

If you need proof of that, look no further than 94 WIP-FM’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. He recently penned a brilliant piece on Howie’s new additions that are struggling. Here’s some of what was said in that one.

"It has been a mixed bag so far this season for Howie Roseman. On one hand, ironically, his draft picks from the past few seasons have been great… On the other hand, however, Roseman’s latest free agency class is turning out to be a complete disaster, and the front office missing so badly on key signings has played a big role in the team’s 1-3 start."

Hold on. There’s more. Here’s his take on Eric Wilson.

"The biggest miss so far from Roseman seems to be (Eric) Wilson… (He’s) Wilson has been one of the worst linebackers in the NFL through four weeks both against the run and in pass coverage… Wilson has six missed tackles in four games, tied for third-most in the NFL among linebackers."

Let’s talk Ryan Kerrigan, whose signing has been described by Shorr-Parks as a “complete disappointment”.

"Kerrigan has played 116 snaps so far this season. In those 116 snaps, he has totaled exactly zero tackles, zero sacks, zero pass deflections, and zero quarterback hits. Kerrigan’s poor play would be a problem no matter where he was on the depth chart, but after losing Brandon Graham for the season, the Eagles badly need Kerrigan to step up. So far, he hasn’t been able to do so."

Ouch! Okay, well how is Anthony Harris doing? Surely, he’s been a star, right?

"Anthony Harris’ most notable moments this season have been dropping an interception against the San Francisco 49ers and being called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone to extend a drive in the same game. He is currently the 58th safety in the NFL in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus."

Steven Nelson?

"Of the four, Steven Nelson has been the best… While his numbers are not great — 196 yards and two touchdowns allowed in four games — he hasn’t been burned routinely the way Eagles’ cornerbacks have been in the past. He hasn’t been a difference-maker, but he has been solid, and the decision by Roseman to bring him in seems like it was the right one."

Whew. Okay! Well, at least we have something!

The fact of the matter is this though. If you want to talk about Howie Roseman and the part he played in delivering Philadelphia’s first-ever Vince Lombardi Trophy (and yes, his fingerprints are all over that win), you also have to bring up the fact that none of the eight players that Philly drafted in 2017, other than Derek Barnett, are still on the team (and Barnett has one foot out of the door).

You also have to bring up that ‘Dream Team’ debacle and the fact that Howie’s struck out much more often than he’s hit a home run… or even got on base.

Roseman’s tenure with the Eagles continues, for now, but we know that Jeffrey Lurie pays attention to what’s being said about his football team. Maybe the growing cries for Howie’s job will force the Chairman/CEO to warm the G.M.’s seat a little. That remains to be seen, but if you thought the criticism of good ol’ Howie had lessened, think again.