Howie Roseman Made 1 Massive Mistake By Trading Haason Reddick
Things were going so well for the Eagles and Howie Roseman this off-season. The mood around the team almost fully bounced back. Signing Saquon Barkley, and bringing back CJ Gardner Johnson, had people feeling good about this team again. Then Howie Roseman had to go and ruin it by being the smartest man in the room. He traded Haason Reddick, getting only a 2026 conditional 3rd round pick back.
It is a terrible move. Haason Reddick was one of the only sure things you had on defense. The secondary, even with CJ, is still full of question marks. We still have no clear answers at linebacker. And the rest of the defensive line, apart from maybe Jalen Carter, still have a lot to prove.
Wouldn’t Give Reddick a Raise
As soon as Haason Reddick asked for a raise, Howie seemed determined to move him. But Reddick was right to ask for one. Despite being 1 of only 2 players to have 4 straight seasons with double-digit sacks last season, Reddick was outside the top 15 for highest-paid Edge-Rushers.
Last season he was the good soldier. We heard nothing from him publicly. Despite being unhappy with his pay, he did not cause problems during the season. He waited until the off-season and then asked for a pay raise. Howie rewarded him by leaking that they gave him permission to seek a trade. Making it look like it was Reddick who wanted out. In reality, it was the other way around. Reddick confirmed he wanted to stay here, he just wanted a pay raise.
It’s a typical move by Howie. Leaking stuff to the media to make the people look bad is his MO. He did it last season with Darius Slay. That time it worked out with Slay coming back. But this time it cost Howie his only reliable pass rusher.
I have seen people saying you couldn’t pay him and Devonta Smith. First off, says who? The cap just took a huge leap and will keep going up. We call him a cap wizard? The cap wizard can’t find a way to keep an elite Edge Rusher and a WR?
Edge Rusher is Suddenly a Question Mark Thanks To Howie Roseman
Edge rusher was the one area on defense we could look at and say they were fine at. Now, they have no one I feel confident calling a sure thing.
Bryce Huff is a nice player. But he is coming off his only season with double-digit sacks. He also was a pass rush specialist, only coming onto the field in obvious pass situations. Some will argue that having double-digit sacks in limited snaps shows he has a higher ceiling, but that is not always the case.
It is not a lock that his production goes up with increased playing time. Maybe he can’t handle a higher workload. Maybe being on the field more exposes some weakness in his game. We have seen Reddick be productive in 4 straight seasons. That is not the case with Huff. He is a gamble.
Sweat is also a gamble. He was great in 2022. He was also great in the first half of 2023. But then he fell off the edge of a cliff. Like Huff, he has only 1 season with double-digit sacks.
Nolan Smith is the biggest gamble of them all. The Eagles have talked him up all off-season in anticipation of trading Reddick. But this is a guy who was never productive in College and barely saw the field last season. His upside is fascinating. Smith drew comparisons to Reddick coming out of college. But we have not seen it yet. He still has to prove that he can be a pro
The Return In The Trade Does Nothing To Help Them Now
After signing Saquon Barkley, you would think the Eagles would try and do everything in their power to maximize their chances to win in the next two years. The Barkley deal is truly a 2-year one, with the option to make it 3. That is their window. not to say they will fall off a cliff in 2026, but their best chance to win is these next two seasons. Especially because that is when Jalen Hurts cap hit is still very manageable.
So what does trading for a 2026 pick get you? If I am being honest, I’d rather have a 2024 3 than a 2026 2. Chances are it will be a 2 because the conditions all seem perfectly reasonable. But the bigger problem is that it is for 3 drafts from now. They traded away their best player on defense and got nothing back that will help them find a replacement. They got worse, for nothing.
Howie Roseman Struggles To Build On Defense
Howie has done a lot of good for the Eagles. He built the one and only Super Bowl team in franchise history. Then he got back there a few years later. With all of the flaws, he has done a great job as the GM.
But then stuff like this happens, and we remember all of his flaws. Look around this defense. How many homegrown players are there on defense that you can trust? Jalen Carter… and that is it. We already talked about Nolan Smith. But then there is Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, all the young corners, and Reed Blankenship. There are not many sure things, even fewer now that Fletcher Cox is gone.
Howie has gotten better at drafting offensive players. On top of key pieces added via free agency or trade like AJ Brown and Barkely, they have a lot of guys they drafted. Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Jalen Hurts, Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata. I am not worried about the roster on that side of the field.
But he still struggles to target defensive players. Even with a few good off-season moves, this defense still has a long way to go to being a championship-caliber defense. So why move the one sure thing you have?
Won’t Know If It Worked Until They Play Games
Maybe it works out. Maybe they get on the field, Smith turns into a star, and Huff holds up in a larger role. That all could happen. The point is that it’s a massive risk. A risk not worth taking. Signing Huff, and trading Reddick, is at best a lateral move. More likely it is a downgrade.
That is not a knock on Huff, or Smith, or anyone else. It is understanding that Reddick is a special player. He can change games. That type of player is worth paying.
Also, don’t tell me he is turning 30. Since when is 30 the new 40? No one expects him to fall off the face of a cliff. He will still have been an amazing player this next season and the season after that for them. Now all they have is question marks and hope. We can thank Howie Roseman for that.
Listen To Or Watch ‘The Best Show Ever?’ Live On The 97.5 The Fanatic And On NBC Sports Philly From 2 To 6 p.m. every Weekday
Tyrone Johnson Eagles Mock Draft 2.0- Eagles Trade Up For A Cornerback
