Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman is really playing the long game

With his 2020 NFL Draft selections, particularly Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is showing how far-sighted his concern for the club is.

Howie Roseman had to know that he’d be questioned at every turn, even before the Philadelphia Eagles finished making their selections in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Sure enough, he’s been armed with explanations over the last few days, citing everything from the Eagles needing to be a “quarterback factory” to conceding that it’s truly “uncomfortable” to draft a young QB when signal caller Carson Wentz is already (supposedly) locked in as the franchise’s present and future.

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Roseman has also faced questions for his selection of skill players and for taking on some projects at linebacker, but no pick has been so dissected as the decision to take Hurts. It has many people screaming from the ledge about how Wentz is on his way out because of it or lamenting the fact that the guy never seems to get a real chance to shine with this team.

But we all need to face the reality that, in an instant, the backup quarterback can become the team’s most important player. Just ask Josh McCown. And did anyone honestly think that Nate Sudfeld was ready to hold the clipboard? Well, maybe, but this pretty much puts the kibosh on that idea. It’s going to be a lot better for everyone (except Sudfeld) for the next several years to have Hurts on board, and that’s clearly what Howie and company were thinking when they made the selection rather than opting for another one year Band Aid in the form of a veteran backup.

Roseman is no doubt also considering the potential lasting impact of our current global situation. Will there even be college football this year? If not, then next year’s draft will become even more of a crapshoot than it already is. With chances to scout and evaluate college players possibly limited or nonexistent, the Eagles made the choice to acquire talent at the quarterback position now instead of kicking the can down the road to next year.

They also wheeled and dealt (dealed?) their way to ten picks, upgrading from the eight they came in with. By maximizing the number of players they brought in, the Eagles hedged against the possibility of talent not being as prevalent or NFL-ready in next year’s draft. Granted, not all of these players will make the cut, but they’ve given themselves as much runway to work with as they can.

And what about if the NFL season itself doesn’t happen? Perish the thought, but the crop of youngsters the Eagles just brought in might be even more beneficial to have, either to play in Philly when things finally resume or as possible trade bait for other teams that might lose veterans who don’t want to return to football after an extended absence.

Nobody knows what scenario will play out this summer and fall in either the NFL or college ranks, but it seems like Roseman and the Eagles constructed their draft day strategy with the mindset that things are going to be different. The result was an approach that not many agreed with, but that cannot be dismissed entirely at this point in time.

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As for Wentz and Hurts, this debate will continue among pundits and fans for the foreseeable future, and then well beyond the time that the Eagles next take the field. Maybe some accord can be reached where Hurts can contribute to the team even if Wentz is productive and healthy. Or maybe not. But no matter what happens, the bad feelings about the Hurts selection and the rest of the Eagles’ 2020 Draft will echo for a long time unless the team manages to pull off another Super Bowl win with some of the players it just added to the fold.

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