Brookover: Roseman's past makes Eagles future a concern
Howie Roseman seemed so proud of his quarterback acquisition as he addressed the media Wednesday, three days after the Eagles had completed their second straight 7-9 season. At this time last year, he reminded us, the Eagles did not have a single quarterback under contract.
Howie Roseman seemed so proud of his quarterback acquisition as he addressed the media Wednesday, three days after the Eagles had completed their second straight 7-9 season. At this time last year, he reminded us, the Eagles did not have a single quarterback under contract.
A few months later, of course, they had $34 million in guaranteed money tied to two veterans (Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel) they did not consider franchise quarterbacks. And then they were trading away other veterans and a future first-round pick in order to climb up the draft board to get the guy they do believe will become a franchise quarterback.
That might qualify as the most circuitous route to a final destination in NFL history, but now they have Carson Wentz and, as Roseman mentioned a couple of times, he is only 24 years old. The foundation of every great team, at least according to the team's executive vice president of football operations, is finally in place for the Eagles.
That, Roseman believes, is why the Eagles are better off now than they were a year ago even though their final record indicated they spent the season on a treadmill while also sinking from second to last in the NFC East.
All the Eagles need now, at least according to their chief decision maker, is to put the proper pieces around Wentz on offense and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox on defense and they will finally be able to follow the instructions of their fight song again.
"Being able to move up from 13 to two and get Carson Wentz was something we were really excited about," Roseman said. "We understood with the amount of resources we put into that trade that it was going to be hard to do a lot else. But we also felt there was value in free agency and the draft at the O-line position."
Imagine how excited the Dallas Cowboys must have been, then, to be able to wait until the fourth round and the 135th overall pick to draft Dak Prescott, who is 23 years old and clearly coming off a better season than Wentz. That, of course, is after they selected superstar running back Ezekiel Elliott two picks behind Wentz. The Cowboys also acquired rookie starters in the third and sixth rounds in defensive tackle Maliek Collins and cornerback Anthony Brown.
None of this is to say that Wentz was a bad selection. He had a solid rookie season with an obvious lack of weapons and handled the heat of his position and his new city with remarkable aplomb. You can argue that he would have been just as good or better than Prescott if he had stood behind center in Dallas. You just cannot argue that he had a better season than Prescott.
It was suggested in this space before last year's draft that the Eagles should have sought their franchise quarterback in a later round and worked on strengthening other positions of need like cornerback, wide receiver, and the offensive line. I still think it would have been the better way to go.
Roseman contended that the offensive line was the other place besides quarterback in which the Eagles are in better shape now than a year ago and he is right to an extent. Free-agent addition Brandon Brooks, despite the acute anxiety that forced him to miss a couple of games, was an upgrade at right guard and rookies Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Isaac Seumalo showed promise when thrust into starting roles.
Still, the Eagles ranked 18th in yards per rushing attempt at 4.1 and Wentz was hit 98 times, tied for ninth in the NFL. Jason Peters, as good as he was in 2016 when he wasn't leaving the line of scrimmage too early, will be 35 next season. Lane Johnson, meanwhile, is one PED suspension away from the end of his career.
It is the foundation, however, that Roseman is most excited about.
"When we look at our team going forward, we've got a 24-year-old quarterback [and] we've got a 25-year-old highest-paid player," Roseman said, referring to Cox. "We have got to make sure we surround that talent with people who can be here and build with them."
Roseman did manage to get in his obligatory dig at former head coach Chip Kelly, who is definitely deserving of ridicule. Only a rudimentary knowledge of the Eagles is required to know they have a desperate need for playmakers at wide receiver and running back.
"It seems like a long time ago we were leading the National Football League in 20-plus plays and I don't have a DeLorean time machine to go back in time and get some of those guys back," Roseman said.
The Eagles last led the league in big plays - runs of 10-plus yards and receptions of 25-plus yards - in 2013. They also led the league in that department in 2010 and 2011. Those were the days when they had LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin, all of whom departed during the Kelly era.
When those guys were drafted by the Eagles, however, Tom Heckert was the general manager and Andy Reid had final say on personnel. Owner Jeffrey Lurie is on record as saying that Roseman did not start having final say until 2012, when the Eagles took Cox in the first round.
That was a terrific pick, even if he is actually 26 and not 25, as Roseman stated.
Regardless, he is the defensive foundation of the team and Roseman proudly admits that he has hitched his wagon to Wentz on the offensive side. Those are his guys and they are a good place to start. But the Eagles are thin in a lot of other places and Roseman is as much to blame for that as his old nemesis Kelly.
Only Roseman has a say in the Eagles' future now and, at best, that's an uncomfortable situation.
@brookob