Howie Roseman has at times been the most popular man in Philly but has also been among the most hated. It is the definition of a love-hate relationship. When Doug Pederson was fired, many fans in the city wanted him gone.
But at some point in the 3 years that followed, his reputation took a 180. Winning the Super Bowl in 2017 was not enough to make him untouchable, but getting back in 2022 seemed to make a lot of people view him as the best GM ever.
I genuinely had someone get mad at me because I said I didn’t think he was the best GM in the league. i didn’t call him bad, I even said he was one of the best. But because I didn’t put him number 1, someone got mad at me.
The Great Things Howie Roseman Has Done
With Howie, especially lately, there has been way more good than bad. Even in the draft, which used to be his biggest weakness, he has gotten better. Howie ditched the smartest guy in the room thing and just started taking the best players, often from good schools.
It landed the Eagles players like Devonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, and Jalen Carter. He also has made big splashed, like trading for AJ Brown, or signing Saquon Barkley. And even a move he was ripped for at the time, drafting Jalen hurts, turned out great for the team.
Last year, I put together this list of the best trades Howie Roseman has ever made. More recently, Andrew Salciunas did a list of the most impactful signings Howie ever made.
Howie also deserves credit for how the Eagles manage the cap. Eagles are constantly singing their own players early. It not only avoids holdouts like we are seeing in Dallas, but it ensures they pay less over the long haul.
Howie also manipulates the cap in a way that lets them fit more good players on the roster. Credit for that also goes to lurie, who is willing to pay the signing bonuses up from to make that cap hack work. But it is Howie who gets it done.
So before we continue, let me make this clear. Howie Roseman is a good GM. A great one even. but with that said, he has made a lot of awful moves over the years.
With the Great, Comes A Lot of Mistakes
Obviously, with Howie Roseman, there is more good than bad.
But it has not always been pretty. Since we have given the good sign of the coin a lot of love, I figured why not look at some of the bad.
It is hard to judge things that took place during the Chiip Kelly era, because we don’t know how much say Howie had in those decisions. We know the last season was all Chip kelly, so Howie is off the hook for Marcus Smith. But did he have a say in Nelson Agholor? Should he get credit for Lane Johnson?
I left those off. I mostly kept it to things from 2016, when he regained power, until now.
Here Are The 11 Worst Moves Howie Roseman Has Ever Made
Drafting JJ Arcega-Whiteside Over DK Metcalf
1 year before Howie passed up on Jefferson to take Reagor, he did the same thing in the 2nd round of 2019. He could have taken DK Metcalf, who while not as good as Justin Jefferson, is still a top WR in the NFL. Instead, they got JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
In terms of his NFL career, Arcega Whiteside is even worse than Reagor. Reagor is still in the NFL. He is not good, but he caught 7 passes for the Patriots last season. Arcega-Whiteside racked up 290 yards over 3 seasons, and then his career was over. That ios the level we are at. He was so bad, I can confidently say Reagor is a better player than him, and Reagor is a bad player.
The Entire 2017 Draft Class
Usually, a draft will have a few hits and a few misses. 2017 was all misses. Derek Barnett, Sidney Jones, Donnel Pumphrey, Nate Gerry, Elijah Qualls, Shelton Gibson, Mack Hollins, none of them worked out for the Eagles. The best player in that class, Rasul Douglas, played his best Football elsewhere.
The Pumphrey pick is extra bad when you look at how good that RB class was. Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara, James Connor, Tarik Cohen, Aaron Jones, Kareem Hunt, and Austin Ekler. The Eagles got a guy who never played a single snap.
It is a shame the draft that took place in Philly has nothing to show for it. He gets forgiven because that same year, the Eagles won their first Super Bowl. But drafts don’t get much worse than the 2017 one for the Eagles.
Drafting Danny Watkins
In fairness to Howie, Andy deserves a lot of blame for this one too. But Howie was the GM at the time, so he can’t dodge blame by hiding behind Reid. Why is anyone drafting a 26-year-old OG in the 1st round? Drafting a Guard in the 1st round is questionable enough. If you do it, it better be for a star. But they drafted a 26-year-old OG, who was 26, and who was terrible. It’s one of the worst draft picks ever.
The very next pick was Cam Heyward. Imagine having him for the last decade, as opposed to having a guy who wanted to be at the fire station instead of the Football field.
Re-Signing Alshon Jeffery
Signing Alshon the first time was great. He was not a superstar for them, but he was a good part of that Super Bowl team. The 2nd deal was awful though. Alshon never lived up to his potential. He also leaked stuff to the media. Even if he was right about Wentz, Alshon spilling dirt did not help things, and made for a terrible situation. They made it even worse in 2019 when they guaranteed his contract in 2020. It was a disaster.
The Dream Team
This is another one he can share the blame with Andy Reid. The Eagles went out and had a massive off-season, trying to turn around the Andy Reid era. Instead, they put the final nail in the coffin.
Nnamdi Asomugha is obviously the move that stands out the most. They gave him the big deal, and he turned into one of the biggest free agent busts of all time.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Wide receiver Ramses Barden #13 of the New York Giants catches a pass in front of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha #24 of the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Not Addressing the Defense In 2023
This is less about a move he made, and more about moves he didn’t make. The Eagles defense was as talented as it has ever been in 2022.
Howie let 5 starters walk from that defense, including all of his Safeties and Linebackers. He didn’t adequately replace any of them He also brough back both of his aging corners. The Eagles felt it in the 2023 season. They went from one of the best defenses, to one of the worst.
The two Defensive Coordinators took a lot of the blame, but Howie deserves heat too for ignoring the defense and letting it get that bad.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 18: Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks catches a pass for a touchdown passed James Bradberry #24 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.
