Howie Roseman will always receive praise for his Super Bowl LII roster construction. Though the season was marked by a series of injuries and hardships, Roseman’s 2017 squad had plenty of depth, namely at the backup quarterback position in Nick Foles. The roster constructed by Roseman proved nearly flawless, but in the years following the legendary season, the longtime Eagles executive has faced his fair share of criticism.
In 2017, it was Howie Roseman who acquired a true red zone receiver in Alshon Jeffery. During the season, he practically stole another pro bowler in runningback Jay Ajayi, who was acquired just before the trade deadline for only a fourth round pick.
Nothing can compare, however, to the signing of QB Nick Foles, who had previously enjoyed success in Philadelphia before being shipped out by former Head Coach Chip Kelly. Foles of course would end up leading the Eagles to the big win and cementing himself as perhaps the greatest backup quarterback in franchise history.
Unfortunately, the few years after winning the Super Bowl have been shaky. Since winning the big game, the birds have only missed playoffs once. But the teams that have made it have underperformed, had holes in terms of personnel and suffered their fair share of heartbreaking injuries.
Year after year, the Philadelphia Eagles GM has made multiple bonehead roster moves since the franchise’s all-time high. Howie Roseman has also been responsible for some truly baffling draft picks, such as the selection of Jalen Reagor over LSU’s Justin Jefferson
With that said, Howie Roseman started his path to redemption during the 2021 draft. Roseman first traded down to gain an extra future first-round pick, and then used that year’s pick to take Alabama stud Devonta Smith. In addition, Roseman secured a promising prospect with second-round pick Landon Dickerson, a versatile offensive lineman from Alabama.
The 2021 draft was very solid, although the season did not deliver the same level of success. The Eagles showed plenty of promise in 2021, however, and overperformed the expectations of numerous analysts.
Most importantly, Howie Roseman continued what has proven to be the key to his success in stockpiling draft picks. The former accountant has become known as somewhat of a wizard for his ability to make draft picks multiply, which paid dividends this offseason.
Drawing from his large stockpile of draft picks, the Eagles GM flipped a couple for now former Titans receiver A.J. Brown. Under Ryan Tannehill, many analysts have speculated that Brown could see a massive increase in production under Jalen Hurts.
All told, Howie Roseman should certainly find himself back in the good graces of Eagles fans after some crafty maneuvering over the last two seasons.