Eagles’ Howie Roseman could make Hall of Fame if he wins another award: ‘I forgot how great he was’

PHILADELPHIA — If the Eagles win their second Super Bowl in February, head coach Nick Sirianni and his assistant coaches will receive a lot of praise. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver A.J. Brown and other Eagles players might receive more credit.
For the third time in the last eight years, the Eagles could play in the Super Bowl with a different group of players and coaches. So that’s why Eagles general manager Howie Roseman — who has held that position since 2010 — deserves the most recognition for their success.
Roseman has built one of the NFL’s best rosters again and could be awarded for it.
“Watching last night, I forgot how great of an executive Howie Roseman is, and you can put him at the very top of the list for Executive of the Year,” said NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky on ESPN’s “NFL Live” a day after the Eagles’ 26-18 win over the Commanders on Thursday.
Roseman, a two-time NFL Executive of the Year winner in 2017 and 2022, could make the Hall of the Fame if he wins the award for a third time and wins another Super Bowl this season. His resume would stack up against other Hall of Fame general managers like Jim Finks and Tex Schramm.
He built the Eagles’ 2017 and 2022 Super Bowl teams (the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57). This offseason, he made a few moves that helped them become a Super-Bowl caliber team, including signing Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun.
The 8-2 Eagles won their six consecutive game against Washington. Philadelphia has allowed a league-low 273.1 yards per game and have the fourth-best offense (379.9 yards per game) after 11 weeks.
Most of Roseman’s big moves in recent years have worked out.
So these results are not surprising.
Here are some of Roseman’s top moves since 2022 that have helped the Eagles become Super Bowl contenders this season (not including A.J. Brown trade):
Barkley, who played the first six years of his career with the New York Giants, signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles in March — the annual salary most No. 3 wide receivers make.
During the first half of the season, he has arguably been the best offensive player in the NFL.
Barkley leads the league with 1,137 rushing yards and is on pace to break his single-season rushing record of 1,312 yards that he set in 2022.
The Eagles’ offense sometimes gets into a funk, but it’s always temporary.
Barkley bails them out by making absurd plays that most players can’t make. He rushed for two consecutive touchdowns against Washington’s defense in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 16-point lead (26-10) with under five minutes remaining.
In past years, Roseman has been reluctant to spend premium money on running backs. But he deviated from that philosophy to bring in Barkley, who was considered one of the best running back prospects of all-time.
Coming into the offseason, the Eagles’ biggest need was cornerback. Roseman drafted Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and selected Cooper DeJean in the second round to strengthen the position.
As rookies, Mitchell and DeJean have both developed into high-end starters.
Mitchell has shut down No. 1 wide receivers, including Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He leads all cornerbacks in forced incompletions and has not given up a touchdown this season.
DeJean has earned the 10th best Pro Football Focus grade (78.1) among NFL cornerbacks this season.
Philadelphia’s defense plays at a championship level. When Roseman drafted five Georgia players from the 2021 and 2022 championship teams in consecutive drafts, he projected them to be impactful players on an elite defense.
Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, linebacker Nakobe Dean and edge rusher Nolan Smith have played well this year. Cornerback Kelee Ringo is the only former Bulldog who hasn’t made a big impact.
Carter, who was drafted with the No. 9 pick of the 2023 draft, has All-Pro talent. He wrecked the Commanders’ offensive line in Week 11 and has dominated in other games, too.
Davis, the No. 13 pick of the 2022 draft, holds the point of attack against interior offensive linemen, which prevents them from getting to the second level to block Dean and Baun.
Dean, a third-round pick in 2022, has amassed 76 tackles, two sacks and an interception in his third season.
After a disappointing rookie season, Smith has made big improvements during his second season. He has finished with 3.5 sacks and 24 tackles in 10 games.
Baun, who signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Eagles in March, has become an All-Pro candidate in his first season starting at linebacker. Now Roseman might sign him to a long-term extension.
After spending four seasons with the New Orleans Saints as a backup edge rusher, Baun moved to inside linebacker with the Eagles and won a starting job. He has amassed 102 total tackles, three forced fumbles, two sacks and one interception this year.
Mekhi Becton, who previously played four years with the Jets, has turned around his career with the Eagles, too. He switched from offensive tackle to guard during training camp and has steadily improved.
Some people were worried the Eagles would not be able to replace Jason Kelce — a six-time All-Pro center and the team’s all-time leader in consecutive starts (145) — but it hasn’t been an issue.
In 2022, Roseman drafted Cam Jurgens in the second round to be Kelce’s replacement. Jurgens has made impressive blocks this season, including against the Commanders when he blocked safety Jeremy Reaves into the turf twice on Barkley’s 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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