Pressure builds on the Eagles’ Georgia trio as Howie Roseman passes on Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson

Howie Roseman hasn’t spoken with the media lately, but he’s sent clear messages from the newly christened Jefferson Health Training Complex as the NFL’s legal tampering window closes and the league year officially begins.

First, he wants little part of the inflated edge-rusher market, especially if the players in question are other teams’ damaged goods.

Second, he expects his draft-day investments at the position to begin to pay dividends.

As the league swirled in madness typical of the franchises in Baltimore and Las Vegas, in Philadelphia, where Howie Season usually bears rich and early fruit, things remained eerily quiet.

» READ MORE: Howie Season begins today. It’s his toughest one yet, for three big reasons.

NFL sources say the Eagles made no serious trade offers for Raiders edge Maxx Crosby, who in January had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and related knee issues, a surgery that was much more significant than originally reported. The Ravens agreed last week to trade first-round picks in the next two drafts for Crosby, but then Crosby, who apparently was still on crutches less than two weeks ago, failed his physical and was returned to Las Vegas. He will be 29 when the season starts.

Similarly, there were never any rumblings regarding the Eagles and Trey Hendrickson, the former Bengals star who had core muscle surgery in December to repair a sports hernia. The Ravens reportedly pivoted to Hendrickson after the Crosby deal disintegrated: Hendrickson will get $112 million over four years, $120 million with incentives — less than others, but then, Hendrickson is 31.

Finally, league sources say the Eagles never came close in years, total money, or guaranteed money when they lost trade product Jaelan Phillips to free agency. The Panthers agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with Phillips, which is at least one year and $30 million more than anyone could have expected Phillips to command.

He will only be 27 when the season begins, but the 6-foot-5, 266-pound pass rusher managed just five total sacks in 17 games between Miami and Philadelphia last season. The Eagles traded a third-round pick for him at the deadline in November, and that was a risk. Phillips had just 7½ sacks in the previous two seasons combined with the Dolphins, mainly because he missed 22 of 34 games with knee and Achilles injuries.

» READ MORE: Eagles news: Maxx Crosby to Philly trade remains unlikely; Birds add a defender and two TEs; latest rumors and moves

The market for edges exploded over the past three days. Odafe Oweh, who has averaged a modest 6.6 sacks in his five seasons, got four years and $100 million from the Commanders. Boye Mafe had just two sacks in 2025 and none in the playoffs for the Seahawks, but the Bengals expect him to replace Hendrickson and gave him $60 million over the next three seasons.

Roseman demurred, and by doing so sent his second message: Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith had better produce.

Roseman drafted Davis, a defensive tackle, in the first round in 2022, despite red flags regarding conditioning and maturity. It took Davis three seasons to adjust to the physical and mental demands of the NFL and to begin to realize his potential, but he did so last season and emerged with 4½ sacks and, last week, a three-year, $78 million extension through 2029.

Roseman drafted Carter in the first round in 2023 to play next to Davis on the inside, as the duo had done at Georgia, despite red flags about discipline and maturity. Carter immediately impacted the defense, and he has gone to the last two Pro Bowls, but last year he came into training camp out of shape, was ejected from the season opener for spitting on Dak Prescott, and he missed three other games due to injury.

After his six sacks as a rookie, Carter faced frequent double teams and had just 7½ sacks the last two seasons. There are reports that the Eagles are in extension talks with Carter, but they’re probably trying to get him at a discount.

Roseman drafted Smith in the first round in 2023, the same draft as Carter. Smith also played at Georgia, and his 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine buoyed his stock as a 238-pound pass rusher. In 2024, his second season, Smith had 6½ sacks as a part-time player and four sacks in the title run, but he injured his triceps in the Super Bowl, reinjured it last season, and managed three sacks in 12 games.

Free agency isn’t over, of course. In fact, it’s just beginning, officially. Will the Eagles court venerable ancients like Calais Campbell, Von Miller, or Cam Heyward? Will they hold tight until Brandon Graham decides to re-unretire again?

It’s unlikely that the Eagles exit the weekend without adding at least one edge, but it’s equally unlikely that whoever they add will rate higher than the ones in which they’ve invested precious draft capital.

And they’ll keep investing.

Roseman should expect to extract at least one pass rusher from an edge-heavy draft in April. Despite needs at tight end and offensive line, it would be hard for them to pass on a player like Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell, even if it means moving up in the second round.

With as many as 20 players potentially worthy of selection in the first three rounds, the Birds might not have to move to get a good edge. Notably, the two players who led the Eagles in sacks last season, edge Jalyx Hunt (6½) and tackle Moro Ojomo (six), were drafted in the third and seventh rounds, respectively.

But neither Hunt nor Ojomo was drafted with the same sort of expectations as the Georgia Trio.

After this wild start to free agency, those three need to play, or to continue to play, like they did back in Athens.