According to Geoff Mosher, the Eagles have pressed the pause button on their search for a “Head of Personnel”. As things stand, Howie Roseman will likely be the prominent figure when it comes to making decisions in the Draft and Free Agency..but what does this mean for the Eagles? Here are four things that we can take away from the halted search.
4) Accountability
Many Eagles fans dislike Howie Roseman..the way he handles the draft, the influence behind the scenes and how he negotiates..it doesn’t seem to fit in with what the fans want. But Jeffery Lurie isn’t blind. The one thing he made very clear in his most recent press conference was that he wants accountability..he wants people to be responsible for their actions, something he was never going to get with Chip.
“Accountability will be the No. 1 feature, and that goes for everybody. It goes for Howie, it goes for the player personnel head, and it goes for the head coach. My No. 1 priority going into this offseason is accountability.”
With this in mind, if Lurie is comfortable with Roseman making the final call in tough decisions..he has to be prepared to take appropriate action if it backfires..and strangely, this actually might need to happen to push the team forward. If Roseman succeeds with picks on the same level as Lane Johnson, everyone is happy..if negotiations break down, Bradford is allowed to walk or the Eagles endure another Marcus Smith…it could be a swift goodbye for Roseman.
3) The Eagles may already have a direction
The main criticism people are seeming to have with this decision is that “The Eagles lack direction”..but this move could actually imply the opposite. Whilst on the surface, the office looks unstable and worryingly underprepared for such a crucial off-season..it’s not all bad.
Since Pederson’s hire, the Eagles have given new contracts to Lane Johnson as well as both Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. Not to mention the rumoured offers to both Cox and Curry on the defensive side of the ball. There definitely seems to be a plan in place and as we alluded to earlier this week, it could all point towards lifting the inevitable pressure that will hit the team this time next year (full article here).
From an outside view, if you disregard who’s making these moves..the Eagles have had a busy but promising off-season so far. Who’s to say that the team haven’t had a change of heart and feel comfortable with the current structure and where the team is headed? Whilst unlikely, it is possible..and easy to see why. If the current group in charge of personnel (Howie Roseman, Tom Donahoe and Doug Pederson) are all on the same wave length then it’s already one step ahead of where the Eagles were a season ago. Many are quick to critique Roseman..forgetting that he has not only been responsible for the recent negotiations but also the
2) Is part of the solution part of the problem?
Roseman has been a very strong force in the recent negotiations with Ertz, Celek and Johnson. Because of this, Celek will retire as an Eagle, Ertz..one of the teams brightest talents is locked down until 2022 and Johnson has signed a six year deal. But then there’s the flipside. The agents claiming how hard he is to negotiate with, the constant murmurs we’re hearing from the Vinny Curry situation and the uncertainty of those both in the organization and fans as they become increasingly aware just how much power Roseman has.
Some believe that staff in the NFL don’t want to work with Roseman and that he is a large deterrent for any new coach coming in. Well, now he may have to deal with the most important off-season in years at the top of a small group of guys..unchallenged. We’re going to very quickly learn if Roseman is the placebo that everyone sees him as or if he has been the cure the entire time.
1) We haven’t arrived at panic station…yet
There is plenty of time to find a “Head of Personnel”. The Draft is still two months away and there is no reason why the Eagles can’t resume their search before then. There’s no reason as of why the search has been paused yet either..it’s incredibly difficult to make a judgement on an action without understanding why the action has taken place.
The Eagles might already have their guy, they could be waiting for their guy. Nothing gets out in the media unless someone wants it to, regardless of the intentions. Without clarification of Roseman’s role, any of the candidates being confirmed by the team via social media like they were when they were interviewing Defensive Coordinators and Head Coaches, it is tough to say if the Eagles are shutting down to elevate Roseman’s power.
Even if Roseman is the man in charge..it’s not the end of the world, yet. You won’t know if a certain dish is nice until you try it. Sure you’ve seen it being prepared and it’s not exactly appetising..but it makes sense to take a bite.
