Howie Roseman explains the Eagles’ ‘pivot’ in free agency, lessons learned from title-chasing offseasons past

PHOENIX — Howie Roseman stood outside the Biltmore resort and detailed the decisions that underscored the Eagles’ early approach to free agency.

Speaking with reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings on Monday, the team’s general manager conceded things didn’t go as he expected in the first two weeks of the new league year and that the Eagles had to “pivot” early in the process.

That pivot was from safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to cornerback duo James Bradberry and Darius Slay. Gardner-Johnson balked at the Eagles’ initial multiyear contract offer at the start of free agency, and the Eagles eventually moved on to re-signing Bradberry and extending Slay after initially planning to release him to save cap room.

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“When you go back to the start of free agency,” Roseman said. “We talked to his representatives about bringing him back here and also talked to them about the fact that we have limited resources.”

“We were very clear that at some point we were going to have to go in a different direction,” he added. “Those first couple days we tried and then we pivoted.”

Gardner-Johnson eventually signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions worth up to $6.5 million with $1.5 million in additional incentives.

Did the Eagles have a chance to match the Lions’ offer?

“I don’t really remember specifically if he said ‘Hey, I have this,’” Roseman said. “I think at that point in time, he was ready to move on.”

The moves in the secondary are in line with Roseman’s general approach so far this offseason. He has retained a handful of older players like Fletcher Cox (32), Brandon Graham (34), Jason Kelce (35), Slay (32), and Bradberry (29) at salaries slightly under market value. Cox, Slay, and Bradberry each had competitive offers before signing back with the Eagles on relatively favorable deals. Graham signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, telling The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane “it ain’t really about the money.”

These signings came at the expense of some younger contributors from last year’s team like defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and Gardner-Johnson, who all signed elsewhere. In total, the Eagles lost seven starters in free agency.

Roseman’s last attempt at keeping a championship window ajar after a Super Bowl berth during the 2018 offseason sent the team into an eventual rebuild after going 4-11-1 in 2020. It may seem like a cautionary tale of committing to too many aging veterans, but Roseman said the lessons he took from that swift regression dealt more with maintaining an elite offense than anything else.

“We did go to the playoffs [in 2019] and won the division,” Roseman said. “So it wasn’t a total [expletive] show, although that may be the perception. We had one terrible year. I think also the important thing is you need high-level quarterback play.”

“At the end of the day, 2020 wasn’t a great season offensively for us,” he added. “We know how important it is to be successful on offense, and I think that’s part of it. You need high-level play on offense, you need to be able to score points. That’s part of it. It’s not only like, ‘Hey, we made this bad move here,’ or ‘We brought in this [player] and this didn’t work out.’ It’s also realizing that formula doesn’t change. You need a really good O-line, a really good D-line, and high-level quarterback play. That just gives you an opportunity to be great.”

“In general, this perception that we made all these mistakes and we have to learn from them,” Roseman added. “I think part of that is how important it is to have high-level quarterback play for our team.”

It is true that Carson Wentz’s unprecedented decline was a major factor in the Eagles struggles in 2020, but the team also squeaked into the playoffs with a shaky supporting cast of skill players around Wentz the year prior. Roseman also made his share of regrettable decisions, both in the draft and at the negotiating table with players like Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson.

Nonetheless, maintaining elite quarterback production this time around, what Roseman suggested can be a great equalizer in team-building, will require signing Jalen Hurts to a lucrative extension at some point this offseason. It’s something the organization is motivated to do; Roseman said as much Monday and acknowledged the team is already planning around Hurts going from a second-round rookie deal to one of the highest-paid players in the league.

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The Eagles have signed a handful of low-cost free agents who had stellar draft pedigree but spotty injury histories early in their NFL careers to one-year contracts. Running back Rashaad Penny and cornerback Greedy Williams were each high draft picks who have dealt with injuries and inconsistency in the NFL. Linebacker Nicholas Morrow also missed an entire season, although he’s been durable outside of the ankle injury that cost him all of 2021.

Roseman said the Eagles view these types of players with unrealized potential and low cap hits as lottery tickets.

“When you’re looking at these one-year guys, I think we want some high-upside guys,” Roseman said. “Guys that have traits in their bodies, guys that we had a like for at some point in time. When you talk about those guys, they’re young guys who have upside. ... We like these kind of high-upside guys, lottery tickets, understanding that they’ve got to prove it. They have talent, it hasn’t worked out perfectly for where they are. If you can hit on those guys, it’s mutually beneficial.”

Even with their recent signings, the Eagles are weakest down the middle of their defense. Defensive tackle, linebacker, and safety are all positions of concern either in terms of starter-quality players or depth.

The Eagles under Roseman have seldom invested significant resources in linebacker or safety, but the team will need to compensate for the loss of Hargrave, who had 11 sacks as the team’s most dangerous interior rusher last season.

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With the Hurts extension looming, Roseman reiterated the team’s prioritization of fortifying the trenches, but made a noteworthy inclusion of cornerback talent as well.

“Especially in a year where we understand the resources aren’t as plentiful as maybe they have been,” Roseman said. “You want to keep your priorities in line. For us, it’s going to start on defense with the defensive line and the cornerback position. When we look back at what we did here, it was consistent with what we think.”