Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman, 10-6 Is Not Good Enough

Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Football Operations, Howie Roseman, addressed the media this week following his teams interesting 7-9 season.

Despite being spitballed with questions for roughly 30 minutes, Howie didn’t really give Philadelphia Eagles fans much closure. He did throw minor jabs at former coach, Chip Kelly, saying he wishes he had a “DeLorean Time Machine” to go back in time to retrieve some of the playmakers they lost. He also stated that he couldn’t talk about the players he wants to pursue in free agency including ex-Eagle, DeSean Jackson.

One of the biggest takeaways, however, was Howie Roseman discussing the future of the franchise. He talked about Joe Douglas, Vice President of Player Personnel, and his role in the offseason. Joe Douglas will assist Howie Roseman in building the big board for the 2017 draft. Douglas has a lot of experience in successful front offices and looks to bring his experience as a football guy to the city of brotherly love.

His former experience with the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears should translate well to the Eagles. The only thing that worries me is that Howie Roseman will still have the final say when it comes to drafting someone. This could be the difference between drafting a player like Danny Watkins over Cody Whitehair. Different draft classes, but still. (For those who don’t know, Joe Douglas drafted Whitehair last season and he was an impact player on their offensive line).

More from Philadelphia Eagles

One thing that reassured me, as a fan, was that Howie said he feels like in the past our Philadelphia Eagles have been striving for 10-6 seasons, Roseman feels like 10-6 isn’t good enough. Which is true, 10-6 didn’t get us into the playoffs two seasons ago. The Birds need to be better, the only way to get better is to build through the draft and add role players through free agency. The Eagles, in the past, have been known to try to build through free agency by adding the biggest names possible. Nnamdi Asomugha, Byron Maxwell, and Demarco Murray, for example.

By solidifying the front office with a “football guy” (Douglas was an offensive tackle at the University of Richmond), the Eagles look to be among the elite teams in NFL that built through the draft. With someone behind Howie, hopefully pushing him in the right direction, I feel confident that the Philadelphia Eagles will build a better team through the draft and add the right pieces via free agency. With Douglas in the mix, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles go from worst to first in the NFC. While this team is still a handful of pieces away from competing, adding three starters in this May’s draft will only help our case.

The only downfall for the Eagles is the limited cap space. The Birds are strapped for cash and won’t be able to make the biggest splash in free agency, this includes locking up homegrown talent like Bennie Logan. This could be detrimental to the team moving forward as they won’t be able to add talent. It could also prevent us from overspending on free agents. Take the good with the bad.

Next: This is A Process Worth Trusting

At the end of the day, it was refreshing to hear a new voice on the podium after 17 weeks of hearing from Doug Pederson, Jim Schwartz, Frank Reich, and Carson Wentz. While he didn’t provide many answers, he did give us hope that the Eagles will stop striving for good, and start striving for great. Aiming for 10-6 isn’t enough, the Eagles need to get 11,12,13 wins to have the utmost advantage in the NFC. With the leadership they have in place, I have faith that they can get there soon.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles