January 31, 2018
Over the last two years, the Philadelphia Eagles have built one of the best rosters in the NFL, through solid drafts and hits in free agency. The architect of it all has been Howie Roseman, however, he has been backed by a scouting department that is highly respected in league circles.
NFL Network analyst (and former Eagles and Ravens scout) Daniel Jeremiah went as far as to say that the Eagles have built the best scouting staff in the NFL.
Here's the exciting news for Eagles fans-- They've built the best scouting department in the NFL. They are going to keep adding to this talent base.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 22, 2018
On Wednesday we caught up with Jeremiah and asked him to expand on that thought.
"A lot of them are guys I have good relationships with, that I know and I've been around," he said. "When you go back to my time in Baltimore, I'm there with (personnel head) Joe Douglas, I'm there with (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) Andy Weidl, I'm there with (Director of College Scouting) Ian Cunningham, I'm there with (Player Personnel Executive) TJ McCreight. All those guys are great, and they have great reputations around the league.
"And then having spent time in the Eagles' organization, I know how good (Senior Director of College Scouting) Anthony Patch is, I know about (Assistant Director of College Scouting) Mike Bradway, and (Southeast Area Scout) Al Wolking and all those guys.
"They have such a deep group, and when you look at most scouting staffs, either they're top-heavy or they've got some good individual scouts. The Eagles don't really have a blind spot. In most organizations, you have to cover up for some guys. You have to work around them. They all collectively are just really, really good at what they do. And I think that, all those guys I know, there are no egos in there. They all just want to get the player right, and they don't care if they're right. They just want to get the player right, so I think they have a chance to have a long sustained run there."
On Monday, we spoke with Roseman about what Joe Douglas has brought to the organization, and his future outlook with the scouting staff as a whole.
"Well one, Joe is a great evaluator," Roseman explained. "He's got a great feel for players and what he's looking for in players. He's a really good person. He also gives us a different perspective from a different organization. We've had a lot of people come up through the ranks in our organization, and that's a good thing, but having a different perspective has been key. He's also not afraid to voice his opinion, and to disagree.
"And I think that disagreement is good. Disagreement is good as long as it's productive and you come out on the right end. It's been really fun working with him and really the people he has brought in, as well as, we have some key people that are still in the organization that are in key roles. I'm just proud of the people we have and hopefully we can keep them together for a long time.
"I'm hopeful we're building the best front office in the National Football League. That's our goal, and I'm obviously biased about it, but we have a tremendous group, and it just shows the effect that Joe has had. He's been able to recruit a bunch of guys he worked with in Baltimore to come work in Philadelphia. Those guys are all talented guys, and we have to keep getting good people in the front office and I think that'll give us a chance to have a successful future."
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski.
Like Jimmy on Facebook.
Like the new PhillyVoice Sports page on Facebook.
