Lurie stands by Howie Roseman

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie endorsed the performance of general manager Howie Roseman and confirmed that the NFL's youngest GM would remain with the organization.

"I think Howie's done a great job," Lurie said Sunday after the team's season-ending 34-26 win over the New York Giants.

Will Howie be back?

"Is that the question?" Lurie said.

Yes.

"Yes."

Roseman, 39, is entering his sixth season as GM. The team has gone 42-38 (.525 winning percentage) and has reached the playoffs twice without a victory in his first five seasons. Lurie has said he considers 2012 as Roseman's first season in charge of player personnel.

The Eagles are 24-24 in that three-year span, including two consecutive 10-6 finishes, albeit the most recent without a playoff appearance.

The jury is still out on the Eagles' last three drafts, but the 2012 class has been arguably the team's strongest in years. Defensive end Fletcher Cox, linebacker Mychal Kendricks, defensive end Vinny Curry, quarterback Nick Foles, and cornerback Brandon Boykin were the first five selections from that draft, and each has been a valuable contributor.

"What I tend to do, and I'm disciplined about it, for me it takes three years to really rate a draft class," Lurie said. "So this year, I'll look at the 2012 draft class, and I think it's important to do. I don't believe in rating draft classes right away.

"I think you can overvalue a player that does well in his rookie year or downgrade a player that does poorly in his rookie year. It's irrelevant."

The first three picks from the 2013 draft have been cogs - tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz, and nose tackle Bennie Logan - but long-term value has yet to be assessed.

The 2014 draft produced only one key piece this season - second-round receiver Jordan Matthews. But their top pick, linebacker Marcus Smith, could hardly get on the field, and the same could pretty much be said of the five other selections.

As for free agency, the Eagles have acquired a mixed bag of players. The 2013 offseason brought Pro Bowl linebacker Connor Barwin, so-so cornerback Cary Williams, and special-teams tight end James Casey. But cornerback Bradley Fletcher, safety Patrick Chung, and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga were disappointments.

The Eagles' 2014 free-agent haul wasn't as large, but there were more hits than misses. Safety Malcolm Jenkins, special-teams contributors Chris Maragos and Bryan Braman, and backup quarterback Mark Sanchez can be deemed successes, at least after one season. Bringing back safety Nate Allen cannot.

With a division of power between Roseman and coach Chip Kelly, it is unclear which one has final say on player acquisitions in free agency and the draft. Kelly obviously has influenced the Eagles on the type of players they have brought aboard in the last two years.

The high number of Oregon players, for instance, suggests that Kelly is pulling most of the strings. But Roseman had clout, especially after former team president Joe Banner left in 2012 and after coach Andy Reid was fired later that year.

Lurie was asked about speculation that Roseman and Kelly had an acrimonious relationship.

"I see two really valued executives - Chip and Howie," Lurie said. "Add [team president] Don Smolenski to that. These are three obsessed-to-being-good executives. They have different roles. They cross over at different points.

"But I think you know me - I like to surround myself with not 'yes men' but strong, opinionated people that are really dedicated to making us really good. And that's what those three do."