Eagles Howie Roseman Lapping Competition In Draft And Decision Making

The GM has been the one constant for the Eagles making six playoff trips in seven seasons, inckuding to the Super Bowl twice with one championship, and now he is lapping Joe Douglas.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – Howie Roseman is making his former right-hand man look silly. For four years, The Eagles general manager and Joe Douglas worked side-by-side. Douglas was the vice president of player personnel when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 before becoming the GM of the New York Jets in 2019.

Yes, the Haason Reddick situation isn’t a good look for Douglas, but how about two other moves, such as the Eagles offseason signings of former Jets Bryce Huff and Mekhi Becton?

You think Roseman smells like a rose now, what if he is right on Huff and those 10 sacks weren’t a mirage?

What if this guard thing pans out for Becton and he ends up starting, which it looks like he will at right guard, and plays well? Even if Becton doesn’t work out at guard, he brings great value as a backup tackle.

Becton didn’t want to play guard in New York, but in Philly? No problem. That is the power of well-regarded offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland that Becton had enough confidence to give the transition a try under Stout’s tutelage.

Mekhi Becton takes a breather during the Philadelphia Eagles minicamp, where he took first-team reps at left guard. / By Ed Kracz

Roseman is why the Eagles have been to the playoffs in six of the last seven years, and have been to two Super Bowls, winning one and losing the other by three in the other thanks in part to a Kansas City Chiefs- friendly holding penalty against James Bradberry in the final two minutes.

If he were an Olympic 10,000-meter runner, he’d be lapping not just Dougles, but most of the GM field.

As for Douglas, how do you trade for a player not fully understanding his desire for a new contract.?Roseman knew it and fleeced a third-round draft pick in 2026 from Douglas in exchange for the disgruntled star.

That pick could go as high a second-rounder, but with the way things are going with Reddick now requesting to be traded, that probably won’t happen. Still, a second-day pick looks like good value. Douglas may not even be in charge anymore when it comes time for the Eagles to collect that compensation.

He has drafted OK, his misevaluation of quarterback Zach Wilson aside. Wilson was the second overall pick in 2021 and is now with the Broncos. That’s a big swing and miss, though the GM did take both the AP Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year two years ago in receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, but there’s more to being a GM than just drafting players.

And Douglas doesn’t seem to be doing well in those other areas. The Jets haven’t had a winning season since he arrived. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and will try again with Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback turning 41 in December who is coming off an Achilles’ tear.

Roseman, meanwhile, may not invest resources in the linebacker position, but there’s no denying his run of success year in and year out. The playoff record and Super Bowl trips is one thing, but those who knock on his drafts should know this:

Seven of the starters on offense this year are draft picks – Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens. Three key reserves were also drafted – Kenny Gainwell, Tyler Steen, and Grant Calcaterra.

Six of the starters on defense are draft picks or, in safety Reed Blankenship’s case, an undrafted rookie free agent. The others are Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Quinyon Mitchell, and Josh Sweat. There are several key draft picks on this side of the ball, too – Brandon Graham, Kelee Ringo, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Avonte Maddox.

This is the team’s foundation, and Roseman is doing better than most GMs in the race to collect talent on that front, too.

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