Eagles GM Howie Roseman: The Secrets to His Success

Demonstrated performance has bought Philadelphia Eagles' GM Howie Roseman a greater margin for error.

PHILADELPHIA - Today’s luxury could be tomorrow’s necessity.

That little piece of wisdom is a good definition for the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft approach which has evolved over Howie Roseman’s two stints as general manager, something tied to the two-time NFL Executive of the Year’s status in the organization.

Roseman personally doesn’t pay lip service to the idea he’s on scholarship or that his leash with owner Jeffrey Lurie is longer than the average NFL general manager.

That said, Roseman is far more entrenched than most of his peers, and failing to acknowledge that may be a valuable personal approach when it comes to staying sharp but it doesn’t negate the advantages Roseman is afforded by his own stability.

Nor is that criticism because Roseman earned his privilege with demonstrated performance.

A good example of Roseman’s breathing room is Jalen Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s draft and a prospect who might have been the most talented in the entire draft class but fell a bit due to some serious off-the-field concerns at Georgia.

Second-year Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace could have used a player like Carter from a talent standpoint but traded down twice rather than taking the standout because Pace neither has the job security nor developed the cultural foundation to take on that kind of gamble.

In the 2021 draft, Roseman selected Alabama offensive lineman Landon Dickerson, a first-round talent, with the No. 37 overall pick despite a significant injury history which included an ACL tear in December of 2020.

A luxury at the time expected to be the heir apparent to Jason Kelce at center, Dickerson was forced onto the field after injuries to Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo and quickly developed into a Pro Bowl player at left guard during his second season.

Once Dickerson shifted the next successor to Kelce was Cam Jurgens, selected at No. 51 overall in 2022. Jurgens played less than 40 snaps as a rookie and may take a detour to right guard this season but remains a high-level projection to replace a futue Hall of Famer.

This year the Eagles drafted edge rusher Nolan Smith at No. 30 overall despite the presence of Pro Bowl selections Hasson Reddick and Josh Sweat, and accomplished veteran Brandon Graham.

Later, Smith’s college teammate, cornerback Kelee Ringo, a player many had tabbed to be off the board early in the second round, fell to the fourth after some questions arose on an old shoulder issue. Despite possessing two Pro Bowl outside cornerbacks in Darius Slay and James Bradberry, Roseman traded up to get Ringo on Day 3 with a redshirt waiting.

However, the best recent example of the approach was drafting Jalen Hurts at No. 53 overall in 2020.

You can ignore the revisionist historians, Hurts was originally earmarked as a cost-effective backup for the oft-injured then-face of the franchise Carson Wentz, a player who had failed to finish the prior three seasons and ultimately imploded.

Had things gone to plan, Wentz would have flourished and Hurts spun off into draft capital down the line after flashing in limited opportunities.

Insurance is designed to protect, however, and Hurts was as high-level a policy as anyone could have hoped for after developing into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL as the runner-up to Patrick Mahomes in the MVP race last season.

From an NFL perspective need is desperation and luxury is the umbrella for the rainy day.

Some GMs don't have the capital to invest in insurance plans. The currency in that analogy isn’t about dollars and cents, though. It’s that demonstrated performance young GMs simply do not have, making their jobs more immediate and less nuanced.

The secret to Roseman’s success is the ability to slow play things with a more significant margin for the errors that are an inevitable part of player projections.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen