Eagles cap space among NFL’s best ahead of 2022 offseason

Who would have thought, following that 4-11-1 NFL season that the Philadelphia Eagles floundered through in 2020, that there would be arguments a little over 12 months later supporting theories in regards to the vice president/general manager, Howie Roseman, staying on for another season? Things change in the NFL rather quickly, don’t they?

In all honesty, as much as it’s hard to admit it, firing a G.M. that’s largely responsible for crafting a roster that battled its way into a Wild Card spot seems like bad optics. Howie’s earned a reprieve, for now anyway, but the criticism that often falls on this guy’s shoulders is warranted.

He does deserve a lot of credit though. He won the Carson Wentz trade. Drafting Jalen Hurts, though we all thought the move was bone-headed at the time, turned out to be a wise decision. It’s just hard to give him credit for it because, 32 picks earlier, he drafted Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson in Round 1.

We’ll throw him a bone for now though. The Eagles, a team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year, are in the playoffs. They’re also in good shape for the coming offseason.

The Eagles are currently a top-ten NFL  team in terms of cap space for 2022.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this Eagles team is this. They’ve taken a huge step in Nick Sirianni’s first season, and they stand to get better. They have 11 draft choices in the coming draft, and for the first time in a long time, they’re in one of the league’s best positions in terms of cap space.

Both Philly and the Kansas City Chiefs sit outside of the NFL’s top five teams with a little over $14 million in spending money, and that number could increase as we near March.

That’s encouraging, but admittedly, there are reasons for concern. It’s Howie Roseman that will sign players. It’s Howie that will have the final say o who the Eagles take with those draft picks.

Howie’s clear of those fiery darts now, but that could change in a hurry depending on how the offseason goes.

After all, how well he’s doing or how far he’s falling short of being a competent G.M. is measured on two things: how he manages the team’s salary cap and how well his draft classes perform. Frankly, Roseman has never been able to prove that he does either job with consistent or sustained efficiency.