NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
After all is said and done, Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles has to teach a class on the duties of a GM. Not just in the NFL, but in any major sport.
Before Week 1 was even in the books, Roseman added 2 more major additions to a team coming off a Super Bowl win just a few months ago. The Eagles needed an edge rusher and managed to snag Za’Darius Smith, who accumulated 9 sacks last season for the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. But Roseman wasn’t done.
Monday, out of nowhere, he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and added to an already impressive running back core with the addition of Tank Bigsby from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While many will question the Bigsby deal, especially when they already have a healthy Saquon Barkley to go with AJ Dillon and Will Shipley (injured), this is how you win championships. Why run Barkley into the ground this season if you don’t have to?
This is why Roseman is the best at what he does. Eagles players don’t hold out or in. They get paid early and focus on team success. Roseman sees a hole on the roster, and he fills it. While people outside of the organization question his moves, they often applaud them by season’s end. Roseman understands that injuries happen. He knows the grind a season can put on a player’s body. So yes, stack the deck if need be.
The NFL is full of egos, and that’s not to say the Philadelphia Eagles don’t have their fair share in their own locker room. But they understand the team means more than the individual. Roseman is at the forefront of that. He makes decisions based on the team and not their feelings. Case in point, Miles Sanders, Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, or even CJ Gardner-Johnson.
Adding Smith will bolster the pass rush for the Eagles’ defense. Yes, he’s been sitting out and has taken his hit in the media lately, but what team should not want to have him? Fans went wild when the news broke, saying he’s washed; however, they would be jumping for joy if their GM had made the move to bring him into the fold. It’s just the way it is.
As for the Bigsby trade, that came out of nowhere, and why would the Eagles do that? Simple, he’s the big, powerful back they needed. He’s the 3rd 1 guy the team can throw out there for that short yardage needed when defenses are stacking the box. He’s a guy who can give Barkley rest when needed and be productive, and he’s a guy who can catch the ball out of the backfield. And one more thing, he’s young. Just entering his 3rd season.
Winning is hard to do. Maintaining that winning formula is even harder. Everything has to go right. For at least the last 2 seasons, the Detroit Lions have had the best unit in the NFC, and yet, they have nothing to show for it. Injuries have ravaged that team at the wrong time. What Howie Roseman is doing is making sure his team doesn’t have the same fate.
Hate on Howie all you want. Call him the Thanos of the NFL. Ask how much talent he needs to win. It doesn’t matter; he’s on the phone while your GM is golfing or trying to put out fires because a star player wants a new deal for the last 2 seasons.
What a player does on the field is important. The culture a coach brings to a team is important. But it all starts with the decisions that the GM makes. He adds talent and builds the foundation of a team. Howie Roseman has proved year after year that no one plays chess better than him.
