Haason Reddick Trade Highlights Philadelphia Eagles' Desire to Get Nolan Smith Playing Time

The Philadelphia Eagles want second-year edge rusher Nolan Smith on the field more in 2024.

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Nolan Smith (right) pursues Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (left). / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - There were many tentacles to the Haason Reddick trade that will send the Philadelphia Eagles' proven pass rusher to the New York Jets for a conditional 2026 third-round pick. Everything from age to finances to playing time and the futures market went into the deal from GM Howie Roseman's perspective.

For those who want to boil it down to a de facto swap of Reddick for Bryce Huff, the younger, ascending former Jets' rusher that the Eagles signed in free agency for three years and $51 million,
that misses the boat. From a personnel perspective, Reddick moving on had more to do with 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith, who played sparingly as a rookie.

The jobs of GM and head coach in a traditional setup like Philadelphia can sometimes clash. The former has to take a more-encompassing view that serves two masters, especially when the team is viewed as a contender like the Eagles are right now. It's about the moment and up to two years down the road for Roseman.

With head coach Nick Sirianni, the goal is to win on game day by hook or by crook.

The differences were highlighted at the NFL's Scouting Combine last month.

As a proven, veteran-laden team coming off an NFC Championship and expectations for another, the Eagles failed to get some younger players involved as much as the organization would have liked. So much so, that the Roseman admitted that he and Sirianni had discussed that fact and came to the realization that it must change moving forward.

Aug 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

“I think when we look back, and Coach and I talk about it a little bit, it's okay to play some young players,” Roseman admitted. “It's okay for them to get experience and kind of see what you have.”

Smith may have headlined the group Roseman was speaking of after getting on the field for only 203 snaps, and the GM singled him out.

“Based on where some of our [veterans] were, [the rookies] had the ability to sit back and learn a little bit because of the situations that we were in,” Roseman explained.

"... Kind of in retrospect just seeing him certainly in the playoff game [against Tampa Bay], one of the guys who played well in the playoff game, maybe giving him a little bit more time during the year and experience, we talked about that," Roseman continued. "He's got all the right tools in his body. He's got the right mentality."

Sirianni immediately followed Roseman in Indianapolis and defaulted to what he does as a coach.

“My philosophy has always been play the guys that are going to help you win the game every week,” Sirainni said. “Regardless of whether you talk about scheme, whether you talk about players, you're trying to do whatever you can to win the game, because that's the bottom line, is to win football games.

“So, whoever gives us the best chance to win a football game, that's what we'll do. Young, old, middle -- it doesn't matter. We're going to do what we need to do. I owe that to our team and our coaches and our players and our fans to play the best player that's going to help us win that week. So, we don't care who that is.”

Neither is wrong. It's Roseman's job to build the roster up for Sirianni and then hand it over to the coach, who is in charge of utilizing those pieces.

However, if the coach isn't using the chess pieces like the GM envisioned, the easiest way to manipulate that for the latter is to remove the obstruction from the equation.

Hollywood fans will remember Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in "Moneyball," trading away Carlos Pena to get Scott Hatteberg playing time from a manager in Art Howe [Phillip Seymour-Hoffman) who wanted no part of doing that.

If Roseman worked things out with Reddick and the former All-Pro remained with the Eagles it would have been him, Huff, and Josh Sweat getting the majority of reps on the edge with Smith trying to edge past 15-year veteran Brandon Graham for the scraps. Now, Smith is penciled in the rotation after an offseason procedure to repair damage in his shoulder and a year in the weight room to better build up his body.

Roseman wants Smith on the field and has set up the runway to get his wish. Now it's up to Smith to show he's worthy of that kind of trust.

"He's got to go out and show it,” Roseman said.