It’s Howie SZN: Roseman does it again for the Eagles with a masterful front end of the 2026 NFL draft
His draft-day moves include acquiring A.J. Brown, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Dallas Goedert, and Cooper DeJean. Now add Jonathan Greenard, Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers. What a heater.
As the 2022 draft unfolded, Howie Roseman, desperate for an instant upgrade at wide receiver, traded for A.J. Brown and immediately signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension.
Brown put together the best four-year run any Eagles receiver ever had.
As the 2026 draft unfolded, Howie Roseman, desperate for an instant upgrade at edge rusher, traded for Jonathan Greenard and immediately signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension.
» READ MORE: Eagles obtain Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in draft-day trade
It would be impractical to expect Greenard to put together the best four-year run by any edge in franchise history, considering Reggie White averaged 15½ sacks in his eight years with Philadelphia. Second place, however, is up for grabs.
Trent Cole averaged 11 sacks from 2007-10. Greenard collected 24½ sacks in 2023 and 2024 combined, a better two-year stretch than Cole ever had.
Can Greenard, who turns 29 next month, put together four years like that? Maybe. Maybe not. The Eagles would be happy if he fills the shoes of 2025 rental edge Jaelan Phillips, who left in free agency.
But, after giving Greenard a $50 million bonus even though he’s coming off shoulder surgery that truncated his 2025 season, Roseman is betting that he can be much, much more than Phillips.
Don’t bet against Howie. He’s still on a heater.
The draft concludes Saturday with Rounds 4-7, but it’s the Thursdays and Fridays of draft week that build champions.
Roseman’s first two days of the draft have been clinically efficient.
In Greenard, Roseman netted an impact pass rusher to complement franchise tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis at the affordable cost of third-round picks sent to Minnesota this year and next.
“A relentless player,” Roseman said.
In Makai Lemon, Roseman drafted the replacement for Brown, who, after three years of insubordination and disgruntlement, assuredly will be traded after June 1, when his cap hit falls by about $27 million. Lemon fell out of the top half of the first round Thursday night and enticed Roseman to trade two fourth-rounders to Dallas to move from No. 23 to No. 20.
In Eli Stowers, Roseman drafted the replacement for Dallas Goedert, the tight end who holds the Eagles’ postseason receiving records for catches and yards. He’s 31, he’s regularly injured, and he’s on a one-year deal.
That’s why Roseman picked Stowers in the second round.
That’s also where he picked Goedert in 2018, and Goedert has paid him back with playoff excellence.
And where he picked Zach Ertz in 2013.
» READ MORE: Hayes: Makai Lemon, A.J. Brown’s replacement, will face pressure like Mike Mamula did replacing Reggie White
Ertz’s 579 catches rank first in Eagles history among full-time tight ends. Stowers had 34 more catches in college than Ertz, and Stowers is a converted quarterback (like Goedert, sort of).
“The guy is super talented,” said coach Nick Sirianni. “Athletically — he does some things that nobody else can do.”
Roseman also landed 6-foot-9, 346-pound tackle Markel Bell, a raw man-mountain who will have the benefit of learning under Pro Bowl man-mountains Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
“Unusual size. Unusual length,” Roseman said. “He is hard to get around in pass [protection]. ... To have an opportunity for him to learn from guys that we have on this roster ... this was a guy who’s hard to find.”
For a guy who’s enjoyed an incomparable second chapter in his career, with his picks winning two Super Bowls and reaching another, Roseman could find himself looking back at 2026 as his finest hour.
Roseman’s second act began in 2016, the year after Chip Kelly deposed Roseman for one season, then got fired.
Roseman had some good years: Carson Wentz and Isaac Seumalo in 2016; DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, and Milton Williams in 2021; Davis, Cam Jurgens, and Nakobe Dean in 2022, along with the trade for Brown; Carter and Nolan Smith in 2023; and, of course, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in 2024.
The 2025 class hasn’t had the immediate impact of some of the others, but it has plenty of time to write its story.
Lemon, Stowers, and, certainly, Greenard will be expected to contribute sooner, the way Wentz, Smith, Carter, Mitchell, and DeJean did.
Don’t bet against them.
Not during Howie Szn.
