Howie Roseman says the Eagles outspent everybody to win back stability
The old is new again in Philly where the new GM is making expensive bets to win the future
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12 min read
PHILADELPHIA -- In the aftermath of their bitter divorce with Chip Kelly, and in the shambles of what became a lost 2015 season, the Philadelphia Eagles knew they had to rebuild on multiple levels. They had to add some veteran pieces to try to stabilize the team in the short term -- even while knowing some of those players might be gone by the time the franchise truly turns the corner -- and also made a decision to re-invest deeply in what remained of their young core, extending those players far into the future.
That should be the nucleus of the club -- still in its prime -- in a few years by which time, if first-round quarterback Carson Wentz develops as the organization hopes, the Eagles expect to be entertaining Super Bowl thoughts.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman -- who regained sweeping power following Kelly's demise -- launched a multi-pronged initiative, outspending every other NFL team in the process, in hopes of making this team more formidable in the middling NFC East right now, and, if things go according to plan, a title contender not all that long after.
It was ambitious and expensive and includes quite a few gambles -- none as potentially boom-or-bust as the series of trades required to move up and take Wentz second overall -- and spoke to the faith Lurie has that long-time executive Roseman could navigate the franchise from the negativity and paranoia of Kelly's tenure into a kindler-and-gentler winner in Philadelphia.
"I think it starts with having (Lurie) in lockstep, in understanding that you are sacrificing some immediate needs to build something that lasts," Roseman said. "And when you look at teams that have success, in this and other sports, it's about having a long-term plan, and being willing to not only plan for today, but to plan for the future. So by looking out and seeing that we had a bunch of free agents from the 2012 and 2013 who were coming up, and we want to keep as many of our good players as possible, because we know them. We are with them every day. We see them in the weight room. We see them with the coaches. We understand their personalities and there is no guessing game.
"And we know that the longer we waited, the less likely it would be that we would be able to keep as many of them as possible. So it was understanding that this was a moment in time that might limit our ability to do some things in the short term, but also for us to start to get back to where we were, that we needed to do something to stabilize everything."
This is an approach not new to the Eagles. It's very much in the vein of the philosophies former Eagles team president Joe Banner instilled in a very young Roseman, and it's some of the tenets that made Lurie's years with former coach Andy Reid as fruitful as they were (albeit without a Lombardi Trophy, ultimately).
It's very much a "Back to the Future" deal here.
As the Eagles enter the back half of the preseason, I, for one, am not expecting big things for them this season. The larger picture will be secure and robust if Roseman's home run swings from winter/spring 2016 pay off.
It began with a purge of the "Kelly guys" or at least perceived Kelly guys, like Riley Cooper, Kiko Alonso, DeMarco Murray and Byron Maxwell -- the coach's favorites or recent big-ticket acquisitions. Then the dual tracks came into play.
On one track the Eagles were rapidly tying recent draft picks well into the future for huge money (Vinny Curry, Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox) and retaining recent acquisitions they were comfortable with (Sam Bradford, Darren Sproles, Malcolm Jenkins and Nolan Carroll).
On the other track, they were signing outside free agents -- generally at more bargain prices -- most of whom had long ties to either coach Doug Pederson or defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz (Chase Daniel, Leodis McKelvin and Nigel Bradham).
In the cases of the players who were already on the roster, the sticker shock involved in their signings in present day dollars, Roseman correctly calculates, pales in comparison to what it would cost to franchise them or sign them later down the line.
He says it came down to this: "At the end of the day, it's -- are you ever letting these players out of the building, anyway? Are you ever letting Fletcher Cox out of the building? No. So even if you don't get a contract done with him now, then you are tagging him and getting a contract done with him two years from now. And what is that going to look like? Same thing with the Zach Ertzs and Vinny Currys and all the guys we extended. We need them as part of this and it's like a layer cake and we need to build on top of this."
It will cost the Eagles the ability to shop for marquee items in free agency in the next few years. Of this they are well aware. And, where they truly sacrificed most was in the bounty of picks they parted with to move up to grab Wentz, after already having jettisoned guys like Maxwell and Alonso to move from the 13th pick to the eighth selection in an earlier sway with Miami.
Roseman's ability to trade those contracts were the most underrated part of all this -- I was truly shocked he was able to do so -- and that opened up the ability to assume more payroll with the players they would be extending. With the cap jumping, however, and most teams working proactively to sign their own best players, the unrestricted free agent market is filled with fewer and fewer sure things each year, anyway.
"Grow your own, sign them, extend them," Roseman said, "and then let everyone in the locker room know that if you do the right thing on and off the field, then you have a chance to be here."
This will all hinge, in the end, on Wentz. Is he the elite talent who flashed against inferior competition at North Dakota State, or will he fail to duplicate that at this level despite his physical gifts and mental makeup?
What the Eagles did realize is that, they had not won a playoff game since 2008 (as star quarterback Donovan McNabb was beginning to decline) and that they haven't had any postseason success since trying to do it with stopgaps like Kevin Kolb, Mike Vick, Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford (though he is obviously back on a short-term deal). So while Bradford gives them best chance to win right now, and Chase Daniel is well equipped to be the perfect No. 2 in this system and win in short sample size, Roseman believed they also needed to be willing to go big if the right potential QB of the future was out there, and Wentz was their guy.
"Sometimes, inaction is a great misstep than action, and being wrong," Roseman said. "And all we can do is rely on our past, and experience is a great teacher. And in the 16 seasons I've been here we picked in the top 10 once, and that was in 2013 and at this point in time I don't think there is any quarterback from that draft who is a starter in the National Football League at this moment. So we're sitting there with the 13th pick and we have an opportunity to go to 8, and then how many more opportunities will there be when the teams at the top are willing to move back?
"Because we looked at 2012 and we see the Redskins picking at 4 and moving up to 2 with what they had to give up (to select Robert Griffin III and the Colts not even being willing to listen to conversations (to possibly trade the first overall pick that year and pass on Andrew Luck). So how do we know that next year or the year after, who knows what our draft position is, that we're even in position to get one of those guys if there is one of those guys. And we just felt like as an organization and as a team that is trying to not only build for now but build for the future and have some continuity that this was an opportunity we couldn't miss out on."
Time will tell if Wentz, and first-overall pick Jared Goff, turn out to be anything close to Luck, or if they end up more like Griffin's stint with Washington or somewhere in between. It is a potential career-defining move for Roseman and Pederson, and one that will mostly likely not begin to truly be measured in terms of wins and losses until 2017.
"Obviously, everyone's expectation, and my expectation, is to come in and put together a championship-caliber team right away," Pederson said. "And that's always been my mindset, and whatever people think outside of these walls, that's their opinion. But I know what we have, and what we've put together this spring and summer, and we're really looking forward now to having put our players in position to be successful on the field and game plan and cutting these guys loose a little bit."
More notes from Eagles camp
- Carson Wentz is sore, but coming along slowly: Wentz is still dealing with soreness from his rib fracture. He told me he is sleeping better and doing "daily things," isn't too painful, but there is still significant discomfort throwing the ball regularly. Pederson said they had to "back him down" for Monday's practice and he continues to toss the ball solely on the side but isn't practicing. I can't imagine he plays this week and we'll see if he can do anything in the fourth preseason game (though with starting linemen likely to play so little, that might not make sense). This is looking like a redshirt year for him (unless the Eagles fall way out of contention quickly. In the meantime the rookie is trying to absorb as much as he can. "It's just one of those things that takes some time (to heal)," he said.
- Jim Schwartz proving to be a big asset: If this team is competitive, Schwartz will likely be an unsung hero. He is bright and eager and he's done more with less at times in the past. He is generally able to cultivate a pass rush without having to sacrifice numbers in coverage, which will imperative with this secondary. As a former head coach -- who took Detroit to the postseason -- he's also a hugely valuable sounding board for Pederson. "It gives me peace of mind knowing he's called a lot of defenses in a lot of game and he's had a lot of success in the league," Pederson said. "And to be in my shoes, and to know he's walked in my shoes for five years, it really gives me a guy I can go to as a reference point to speak to and say, 'How did you handle this situation? How did you do that? What was your structure there?' And to get ideas and be able to bounce things off him, because everyday I'm learning."
- Expect to see more Chase Daniel: Daniel could end up playing way more snaps than some are expecting. Bradford is injury prone and has struggled mightily for much of his career and Daniel has a strong bond with Pederson. There is immense trust there. He's won games for him in Kansas City and though he has limitations, for a month or two he could be effective. He knows the system inside out and is a willing teacher with Wentz; he also doesn't need many practice to be ready to play, which allows them to steal development reps for the rookie while not sacrificing much. "He's just a pro's pro," Pederson said. "He studies the tape, he prepares as if he's the starter, he helps the starter, he helps Sam. It's just what you want out of a backup quarterback, and you know you have no qualms whatsoever if something were to happen that he can go play, because he's coached up, he takes it to heart, he understands what it takes to play, and from a coach's perspective, it's a good situation to have."
- Mum on Lane Johnson's status: The Eagles are not saying much publicly about tackle Lane Johnson's potential 10-game suspension for PEDs, but make no mistake -- that would be a massive blow to this team and an offensive line that had regressed in recent years. Coupled with the inability to tackle Jason Peters to stay healthy in recent years, it could mean bad things for a starting quarterback who has been injured already much of his career.
- GM loves to wheel and deal: The Eagles' latest trade target Dorial Green Beckham should get a decent run this weekend. He was just acquired from the Titans last week and has some physical gifts, though he had significant off-field issues in college and has yet to make a dent in the NFL. The Eagles have precious little at receiver, however, in terms of proven talent. The receiver said that "everybody is helping me line up in the right spot," and he aims to "get a couple of catches" in the next preseason game. Roseman said: "Part of the DNA into the trade for DGB is that we understand there were inconsistencies there. And the Tennessee Titans and J Rob (general manager Jon Robinson), they know how to evaluate there and they have a strong receiver corps and they felt like there were things they didn't like that he was doing. But we felt like we need to take some shots because we don't have as many picks as we had in the past."
- Finding a role for Tulloch: The team knows the kind of person and leader linebacker Stephen Tulloch is from his time with Schwartz in Detroit, but are also pragmatic about how much impact the new signee might have. He start out competing for a depth linebacker spot after injuries struck, and in that role, you are generally expected to contribute on special teams, too. Pederson would like to see him on "at least on special teams unit for now."
- Tightening things up with Bradford: I wouldn't be surprised if Bradford -- who has struggled with turnovers -- is handled somewhat similarly to how Jay Cutler was handed in Chicago last year. Look for plenty of emphasis on check-downs to backs and tight ends. I didn't get the sense they wanted this guy trying to thread small windows deep downfield. "We're not going to force it down the field," Pederson said.
