Howie Roseman’s 2022 offseason will go down as one of the greatest in Philadelphia Eagles history. The result was a dominant regular season and a Super Bowl berth. Part II of this journey will demand Roseman to sustain the growth made last year and set the team up to make these kinds of runs for the next five years or so. Here are the most important moves he needs to make in order for that to become a reality.
Re-sign Javon Hargrave & Chauncey Garnder-Johnson
The Eagles have quite the free agency class to handle and complicating things is the fact that Jalen Hurts is going to be given a shiny new contract. Howie Roseman has to be clinical when deciding which free agents to retain, and both Hargrave and CJGJ should be at the top of his priority list.
Gardner-Johnson should be circled in red. He’s still extremely young and had an exceptional first season in midnight green, packing the punch we haven’t seen at the position since Malcolm Jenkins. The Eagles would be wise to make him a cornerstone of the secondary for years to come.
Let Jalen Hurts name his price
Whatever Jalen Hurts asks for, pay it. It’s that simple. The Eagles were minutes short of winning a Super Bowl and it was largely thanks to the heroic efforts of Jalen Hurts. The young quarterback had an explosive 2022 season and did more than just take a step forward in his development. He strapped on his moon boots and leaped so much further than anyone expected.
It’s clear the Eagles have their quarterback of the future. It’s time to step up and make sure he’s here for the long-term.
Mediocrity is no longer good enough…
The Eagles offense is one of the most dangerous in the NFL. When Quez Watkins first arrived on the scene, the grading scale was a struggling Jalen Reagor and later a 1st-round star in DeVonta Smith. But now the team has one of the most dominant offenses in the NFL, a wideout who struggles to catch the deep passes he is tasked to haul in simply won’t cut it. The Eagles need to find an upgrade from Watkins this offseason, be it a free agent or a rookie prospect who can grow under two electric wideouts.
Team needs
The Eagles ideally need to find a TE2 behind Dallas Goedert. The SDSU star has been exceptional when healthy, but depth behind him has always lacked. Jack Stoll, Tyree Jackson, and even Grant Calcaterra have been unable to take advantage of a clear opportunity to snatch a clear TE2 role. It would make sense to find a more pro-ready candidate to hold that spot for now until they develop.
Brandon Graham may also be on his way out of Philadelphia and while the defense features a variety of ways to utilize pass-rushers off the edge, they’re going to need some depth, especially if Robert Quinn leaves too. Josh Sweat had a great season, but they need to ensure there is a solid rotation that can cause problems deep into the postseason because it’s not every year that a veteran has a ‘Comeback Player Of The Year’ level season…
Run it back
To say Howie Roseman has been scarred by DeMarco Murray would be an understatement. Every running back since has been paid pennies in comparison and MIles Sanders now faces a potential extension or an early exit after his long-awaited breakout.
Roseman seems to have realized that it makes sense to pay a committee of young/undervalued backs as opposed to lumping his funds on the shoulders of one. This would also explain why Kenny Gainwell mysteriously tripled his touches in the postseason, with the Eagles possibly preparing to pass the torch.
I don’t think the Eagles need to go out and draft someone like Bijan Robinson, but they will need a strong runner between the tackles who can complement the elusive skillset of Gainwell, however that may come.
AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez
