September 05, 2022

Who won the week in Philly sports: Howie Roseman built one of the best rosters in the NFL

By Shamus Clancy
PhillyVoice Staff

Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

Howie Roseman.

The concept of "winning the offseason" gets thrown out the window in six days. Whether it be a "Dream Team," an "All-Star Team" or just one of the best rosters in the NFL, the team Howie Roseman has built finally gets put to test in Detroit on Sunday.

Roseman's propensity for rebuilding the Eagles on the fly is only matched by his inability to keep a contender afloat for several seasons in a row. Taking the good with the bad, however, has resulted in a Super Bowl parade and four playoff berths in five seasons.

I've been critical of Roseman over the years, calling for his job after the disastrous 2020 season, viewing the blame more so with him and Carson Wentz than a now-departed Doug Pederson. Much like the way Chip Kelly wrestling personnel control away from Roseman in 2015 flipped his mindset and put the team on a path to the Super Bowl, the 2020 Eagles crashing and burning has resulted in this supreme two-year retool.

I don't know if Roseman will still have the Eagles in position to be a contender come 2024 and 2025, but as of right now, he's constructed a talented roster with enough flexibility to be a true threat in the NFC over the next two seasons.

Roseman has steered the Eagles through a successful offseason and did even more to load this roster up over the last week. Things could change quickly come Sunday in Detroit, but it's an easy call to give Roseman the hallowed title of the person who "won the week" in Philly sports.

C.J. to Philly 🗣️

The lone clear-cut weakness on this Eagles team heading into the season was the safety. position. The Eagles are high on incumbent Marcus Epps. He's solid enough, but the spot opposite him felt dicey. Roseman swooped in and fleeced the Saints for the second time this offseason, trading a fifth- and sixth-round pick for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and a seventh-round selection.

Gardner-Johnson, or "C.J." or "Ceedy," is already drawing praise from his Eagles teammates.

"He's got a lot of swag, man. I'm more of a 'cool' loud guy. He's more of a 'letting his presence be known' kind of guy. He's going to bring a lot of swag to us," team captain Darius Slay said to the media about the Gardner-Johnson trade last week.

"Ceedy? He's a dawg. I've seen it today," slot corner Avonte Maddox said while speaking with reporters after the trade last Wednesday. "First day out there and getting his hand up on a pass breakup. So I'm excited to have him. Definitely a dawg out there on the back end."

He's "dawg." He's a "ball player," regardless of whether he's lining up at corner or safety.

Entering his age-25 season, Gardner-Johnson is bringing youth, versatility and incredible vibes with him to Philly. Credit to Roseman for finding a player another team undervalued.

Reagor Reset 🚨

Well, it finally happened. Jalen Reagor is gone. Nothing better illustrates Roseman righting his wrongs better than last week's Reagor trade. Reagor, the much-maligned receiver Roseman foolishly drafted over Justin Jefferson in 2020, now joins Jefferson in Minnesota.

Roseman dealt Reagor to the Vikings for a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick. In a vacuum, taking a guy in the first round and then trading him for two future Day 3 picks two years later is horrid value. The Reagor trade does not absolve Roseman of his hand in the Reagor debacle, but getting anything of substance back from a player who would be, at best, the fifth receiver on the 2022 Eagles is commendable.

Stacking the Backfield 👊

For a team that led the NFL in rushing in 2021, the Eagles felt light on running backs this summer. Miles Sanders is the team's No. 1 back, but injuries have kept him out of practice at times to say nothing of the time he missed last season. Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell work well as backups who can also be threats in the passing games. More depth was needed though.

Roseman is trying to solidify the backfield with the addition of Trey Sermon. Sermon was the 49ers' third-round pick in 2021, but disappointed as a rookie, falling out favor in Kyle Shanahan's offense. He had just 167 rushing yards on 41 attempts (4.1 yards per carry). Following the move, here's what our own Jimmy Kempski said about Sermon:

It has been assumed by some (self included) that if the Eagles were to add a running back, it would likely be a power runner. While Sermon has good size at 6'0, 215, his game more closely mirrors Miles Sanders', than, say, Jordan Howard's. The Eagles are going to have to work with Sermon on being the type of runner that the Niners wanted him to be. To be determined if the Eagles will have more patience developing him than the Niners did.
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Because Sermon doesn't add a power element that is obviously superior to the Eagles' current backs, he likely won't see much action early on. Sanders will be "the guy," with Boston Scott backing him up and Kenny Gainwell likely to get some passing down looks. I imagine Sermon will be inactive on gameday while he learns the offense. If the Eagles suffer injuries at running back down the road (as they typically do), we could see Sermon at that time.

There shouldn't be much in the way of expectations for Sermon. Perhaps he doesn't even get on the field early in the season. The move is a shrewd one from Roseman though. It's the ultimate buy low for a guy who showcased some juice as a runner in college. If he doesn't produce, whatever. If injuries thrust him into a key role and the Eagles can replicate their 2021 rushing attack, adding him will look even smarter.

The Gardner-Johnson, Reagor and Sermon acquisitions alone aren't what elevates the Eagles to the top of the NFC hierarchy. Roseman, however, continues to work the margins well, as a bevy of smaller moves have added up to make a complete roster ready to make a deep playoff run.