When speaking on the selections for the 53-man roster, Howie Roseman made a very important point that may have gone unnoticed. Upon being asked about the defensive end position, Roseman spoke highly on Daeshon Hall, Josh Sweat, and Shareef Miller. After praising Miller, Roseman went on to state:
“We have to understand that we have to develop players and when we are talking about our roster, and we have a lot of guys who are good players and make good money. We have to bet on our young players. We have to bet on our scouting. We have to bet on our coaching, and we are going to take that bet at that position.”
There’s more to this statement than the current state of the defensive ends. It seems to have been the motivation that led Roseman to draft LT Andre Dillard, RB Miles Sanders, and WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside. The same motivation that may have carried them into signing Sudfeld two seasons ago just so he wouldn’t be poached off the practice squad. Roseman has taken the development very serious and he has every right too.
The Eagles aren’t the youngest team, their average age is 26-years old. Not old, but also not young compared to several other teams. Sure, veterans bring experience to the table but what does homegrown talent bring? Brandon Graham is a perfect example of Roseman’s idea of developing players.
Graham was labeled as a bust after the first couple of seasons in his career. Since then he’s been a pivotal piece to the Eagles defensive line. You can even go as far as saying the Eagles wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl without his strip-sack on Tom Brady. That’s a pure fact.
Graham has become a reliant piece for the team and while he isn’t getting younger, the team already has his “replacement” in Derek Barnett. The transition has been seamlessly set up by Roseman for several positions. One being Left Tackle with Jason Peters and Andre Dillard, the other being Wide Receiver with Alshon Jeffery and JJ Arcega-Whiteside. You could even count the Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert pairing in the same column.
Now, this isn’t me saying that the Eagles are trying to replace their stars with “possible” stars. My point is that Howie Roseman is taking developing his young players very serious this time around. Now more than ever due to the Carson Wentz extension that could lead to an even bigger payday later on in his career.
You can even point toward the intent to keep players like Matt Pryor, who really struggled this preseason with penalties in every contest, on the final 53. The willingness to keep UDFA Nate Herbig in that same room, as well as refusing to give up on WR Mack Hollins despite a penalty-plagued 12 months.
If the team wants to embrace the new norm to its full potential then Roseman has to stick by his word in this regard. This could explain the reason that Chris Long wasn’t re-signed and Jadeveon Clowney wasn’t acquired. The Eagles brass doesn’t want to risk the farm for a “right now” piece that could help them in the present time as opposed to the long run.
Roseman is doing the best thing for this organization. The fact that he’s willing to bet on himself, their scouts and the coaching staff shows a sign of growth in the right direction from the once outcasted GM. Players like T.J Edwards, Daeshon Hall, Nate Herbig, Cre’von LeBlanc, and even the newly required Rudy Ford will be the evidence that the fanbase sees with Roseman committing to development over the quick fix.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
