Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman, NFL offseason MVP

Philadelphia Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman is the MVP of the entire NFL offseason.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a tremendous offseason, and one of the main conductors of that is vice president of football operations, Howie Roseman. Philadelphia does not have a designated general manager, but Roseman would be that guy if they did. Ironically, had it not been for former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly’s failures running the team, Roseman likely wouldn’t be here any longer.

Kelly and Roseman never saw eye to eye, and since Kelly had control of the team, Roseman was demoted (even though the team called it a promotion). Roseman’s power with the roster was gone, and his office was moved to a different part of the building. It looked like the end for Roseman in Philly, but when Kelly failed and failed miserably to build the roster, Roseman was given an opportunity, and he has run with it better than ever.

On the flip side, Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie may have made the best decision of his career by giving the power back to Roseman after he fired Kelly. Maybe the

promotion

demotion for Roseman showed him that this last opportunity with the Eagles is one he needs to make the most of, and he has made the most of it.

Roseman started fast and aggressive by making a couple of moves to acquire the No. 2 overall pick. With that pick, the Eagles selected quarterback Carson Wentz. The former North Dakota State product and Roseman will forever be tied together, but for now, that looks like a good thing for both.

Wentz’s rookie season wasn’t good, and it wasn’t bad, but a large part of that came down to the lack of weapons the Eagles had on offense. Their defense also struggled in 2016, with a glaring hole at cornerback. It was evident the Eagles needed to improve their roster over the offseason, and the pressure was on Roseman to do it.

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You know what they say, though: no pressure, no diamonds. And the Eagles 2017 offseason was a diamond, brought to the City of Brotherly Love by Roseman himself.

One significant aspect of the NFL that many fail to see is team building. Fans always want their team to be the best every season, and that just isn’t realistic. There are times you need to build for the future, but the best general managers can build for the future while improving in the present. Roseman is a good general manager because he magnificently developed a team that is now better for 2017 but is also better for the future.

Roseman himself understood that he needed to build a team around his quarterback (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com), Wentz. He is the future of the franchise and building around him would help cement success for many years.

With that in mind this offseason, Roseman was aggressive and made sure he helped out his young star. Lets first start with the cap moves he made. The Eagles cut Connor Barwin, Leodis McKelvin, and Ryan Mathews. These three moves saved the Eagles almost $15 million on the cap. They were obvious moves to make but were necessary for other moves down the road.

One of those moves, and arguably the biggest move of the offseason, was signing free agent wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. The former Chicago Bears pass catcher will become Wentz’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2017 and give him a guy that will win 50-50 balls, both of which he did not have last season. Roseman did well by only signing Jeffery to a one-year deal $9.5 million deal. This contract gives the Eagles flexibility when it comes to a player who has had injury problems in the past. However, if he gets back to Pro Bowl form, the Eagles can easily re-sign him or give him the franchise tag.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 24: Alshon Jeffery #17, Torrey Smith #82, and Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate after a touchdown by Jeffery in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 24, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Along with Jeffery, Roseman and the Eagles signed free agent wide receiver Torrey Smith. 2016 was a year to forget for Smith, but he brings tremendous value to the Eagles offense because he can take the top off the defense. Philly needed someone to create a big play, and they get that with Smith. Both of these two wide receivers showed what they could bring to the table this past preseason game. Jeffery scored a touchdown and looked great while Smith took the top off of the defense, catching a 50-yard touchdown pass.

Adding those two receivers will help in the present and the future, but drafting wide receivers Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson help for the future. Both have potential to bring something unique to the Eagles offense and will hopefully become weapons for Wentz down the road. Hollins may even become one this year, especially after his impressive touchdown in Week 1 of the preseason.

Roseman did not slow down signing players on the offensive side of the ball, landing free agent running back LeGarrette Blount. The 2016 NFL rushing touchdown leader (18) was the missing piece of the offense after the wide receiver additions. He gives Wentz a running back he can trust to carry the load and pick up short yardage. It may have only been a one year deal, and it seems that Blount is just a rental for the 2017 season. However, it gives them the chance to find their franchise running back in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Blount joins running back Darren Sproles, who will remain as the third down running back, though, this is likely his last year in Philadelphia. His contract expires after this season, and the Eagles needed to find someone to replace him, which Roseman was able to do. Philly drafted the NCAA all-time leading rusher, Donnel Pumphrey, in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He will likely be the man to replace Sproles and Roseman made sure that Wentz yet again had a weapon for the future.

The job Roseman did on the offensive side of the ball this offseason was impressive, but somehow the job he did on the defensive side of the ball was even better. Philly hasn’t been known for having an elite defense for a very long time. However, Roseman did his best to try and make sure this defense has a chance to be elite.

First, he made a trade, trading a third round pick for former Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. Adding Jernigan to the defensive line with Fletcher Cox was a great move, and Jernigan was an upgrade over Bennie Logan, whom Roseman let walk in free agency. The addition meant that the Eagles had Cox, Jernigan, and Brandon Graham on the defensive line, with Vinny Curry at the other defensive end spot. Curry hasn’t earned his contract yet and, even though he had a chance to this year, Roseman took no chances. He decided to draft Derek Barnett with the Eagles first-round pick, giving them a chance at a dominant defensive line.

Having the defensive line they do is great, but Roseman’s biggest weakness while building the team was at cornerback. So, after taking Barnett in the first, the Eagles took back-to-back cornerbacks in the second and third rounds. First, they started with Sidney Jones, who was the best cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft, but an injury forced him down draft boards. Then they took Rasul Douglas in the third. The only problem is that Jones probably won’t play in 2017 because of his injury and Douglas isn’t ready to become a starting cornerback in the NFL.

With that in mind, and the idea that second-year cornerback Jalen Mills and former firs- round pick Patrick Robinson would be their starting cornerbacks this year, Roseman knew they were already burned. So, once again, Roseman made a great move for the present and the future of the Eagles. He sent wide receiver Jordan Matthews, and third round pick to the Buffalo Bills for starting cornerback Ronald Darby.

The trade was a no-brainer, and Darby is the Eagles first shutdown cornerback in a long time. That gives the Eagles four young cornerbacks they can work with. Darby and Jones will become the starters down the road, but having Mills and Douglas as well will be big for their future as well.

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It is rare to see an NFL team have such a great offseason like the Eagles did this year. Roseman worked his magic and showed that he means business while building this roster. Not only did he help the Eagles in 2017, but Roseman also ensured Wentz and the rest of the Eagles some stability for the future. The Eagles won this year before the games even kicked off because of Roseman, which is why he is the MVP of the offseason.