The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
While the loss probably still stings a bit, it hasn’t slowed down the team’s efforts to get better. Already equipped with one of the more talented rosters in the league, the Eagles kept their foot on the gas and upgraded through the draft.
NFC Champions Win 2023 Draft
Per most draft analysts, the Eagles easily won the draft by adding elite talent. Not only in positions of need, but they also landed some quality pieces by taking the best player available on the board, which if anything, creates depth at various positions.
For good measure, Eagles brass traded for a starting running back, bringing in former Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift in a move consistent with what they did last offseason in acquiring wide receiver A.J. Brown on draft night.
The trade for Brown was the move of the offseason, as the talented receiver provided quarterback Jalen Hurts with another lethal target to complement Devonta Smith and form the best wide receiver tandem in the NFC en route to the Super Bowl.
Howie Roseman Rises Back To The Top
The architect behind the Eagles’ rise is once-demoted GM Howie Roseman, who withstood having personnel decisions stripped away when the team hired Chip Kelly as head coach in 2013. Ten years, two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl title later and Roseman is the toast of the City of Brotherly Love.
Are Other NFL Executives Upset With Roseman Praise?
With the draft that Roseman just orchestrated the rest of the league’s GMs and top executives are on notice.
Per reports, Roseman’s masterful execution on draft night has NFL executives low-key hating on the amount of praise Roseman’s received.
Peter Schrager, a senior writer for Fox Sports said that very thing on NFL Network, then Eagles reporter Brandon Lee Gowton tweeted about Shrager’s comments.
“Speaking on NFL Network, @PSchrags mentioned that some executives around the league are getting annoyed with how much praise Howie Roseman is receiving.”
Eagles Have Built Through Draft/Strong Free Agent Pickups
The past two offseasons have been home runs for Philadelphia. Last year’s draft picks — mammoth tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean of the national champion Georgia Bulldogs — are both slated to be starters this season.
Roseman added more talent from Athens when he got the supremely talented Jalen Carter, who dropped in the draft because of off-the-field situations that thrust him into the national spotlight in a negative light. The freakishly-talented defensive tackle from UGA was snatched up by Roseman with the No. 9 pick. The city of Philadelphia doesn’t mind having rebels or controversial superstars in town.
Carter is arguably the best player in the draft. Roseman tapped back in and drafted edge rusher Nolan Smith later in the first round giving the Eagles, defense, which is aging in the front seven, a real shot in the arm.
A final key steal for Roseman and his executive team was adding cornerback Kelee Ringo, another UGA product and first-round talent who slipped to the fourth round after a subpar pro day and unimpressive combine.
All that, plus the team re-signed QB Jalen Hurts, the 2022 NFL MVP runner-up, to a lucrative long-term contract that made him the highest-paid player in the league for about 10 days until Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson topped him.
Now you can see why executives around the league are a bit peeved and under added pressure entering the season.
