NEW ORLEANS — Every team goes into the offseason with a plan. Get better. Improve the roster. Make smart signings in free agency. Figure out which of your own players you need to keep, determine which of them are expendable and anoint the select few you believe worthy of contract extensions. Study and attack the NFL draft with gusto, working the board as best you can to bring in quality and quanтιтy, adding young talent at reasonable prices to augment the roster.
“That’s really the responsibility of the job, to field the best possible that you can, to get the best possible players, the best possible people on and off the field and try to win world championships,’’ Howie Roseman, the Eagles executive vice president and general manager, said.
The goal is constant but the results vary, often wildly. Roseman, Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised, was the orchestrator of an offseason haul for the ages. The Eagles took a nosedive down the stretch in 2023, losing five of their final six games in the regular season and then suffering the indignity of a one-and-done playoff ouster with an awful 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers.
Roseman knew that two franchise icons, center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, were headed to retirement. There was work to be done. What he accomplished was astounding, with the centerpiece acquisition of Saquon Barkley, the most gaudy and prescient signing in the NFL.
It was so much more than Barkley, to vault the Eagles into Super Bowl 2025, ready to face the Chiefs on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. The signings in free agency, coupled with additions via the draft, fortified the roster and turned weaknesses into strengths. Roseman delivered and the Eagles prospered.
Here is the lowdown:
Kew free agent additions
RB Saquon Barkley: There is not much left to be said, but that will not stop anyone from singing his praises and trying to quantify his impact right up until kickoff. No one is the least bit surprised that the physically gifted Barkley thrived, operating behind far and away the best offensive line that has ever blocked for him. It was a low bar, to be sure, given the slop the Giants served to him for most of his six years in New Jersey. That Barkley soared to 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season, sat out the final game and finished only 100 yards shy of the NFL’s single-season rushing record (Eric Dickerson in 1984) was overwhelmingly impressive. He gained 100 or more yards in 14 of the 19 games he appeared in (regular season and postseason) after managing only one 100-yard game for the Giants in 2023. He led the NFL with seven carries of 40 or more yards, and three of his five rushing touchdowns in the playoffs have gone for 62, 78 and 60 yards. He is the sort of player, person and leader who other teams covet and usually is not available to sign. For now, his three-year, $37.75 million deal would be a bargain at twice the price.
“I’d like to say he’s exceeded expectations, but he’s always been one of the best players I’ve ever seen whenever I’ve watched him,’’ Roseman said. “And I have always known about what kind of person he is because it’s not hard to find that out. So I’m really not surprised by any of this, and I don’t say that in an arrogant way, it’s based on who he is, nothing to do with me, because this is who he’s always been. And I’m just glad everyone gets to see that.”
LB Zack Baun: How did this happen? That is what the Saints and their fans must be wondering when they see this stunning transformation. Baun, a 2020 third-round pick out of Wisconsin, did not do much of anything in his four seasons with the Saints: 62 games, 88 tackles, two sacks and zero forced fumbles. The Eagles signed him to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, and most figured he would be a situational pᴀss rusher and a core special teams player. Instead, he became one of the best linebackers in the league. He was moved to the inside and Baun amᴀssed 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in 16 games. He was named first-team All Pro and a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
“We did a lot of work on him in the draft and you can see his versatility,” Roseman said.
G Mekhi Becton: The Jets probably cannot be blamed for giving up on their 2020 first-round pick, given how bad he was at left tackle, how often he was injured and how his weight seemed to grow out of control. He signed a one-year contract for $2.75 million — and worth up to $5.5 million — and when he arrived in Philadelphia, head coach Nick Sirianni presented to offensive line coach extraordinaire Jeff Stoutland the idea of a move inside to guard — a spot Becton never before played. Voila! Becton’s mᴀssive (6-foot-7, 363-pound) frame anchored down at right guard and he started 15 games for the No. 2 rushing team in the league.
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson: In 2022, the Eagles acquired this aggressive, mouthy, taunting-prone defensive back in a trade with the Saints and they got an NFL-high six interceptions from him that season. He signed with the Lions in 2023, but injuries limited him to only three games. The Eagles brought him back on a three-year, $27 million deal, and Gardner-Johnson started 16 games and contributed a team-high six interceptions. He has emerged as a team leader, and his arrival on the back end helped Reed Blankenship develop into a legitimate starting safety.
Key draft picks
CB Quinyon Mitchell: Taking this guy out of Toledo in the first round (22nd overall) proved to be an instant hit, as Mitchell started 16 games and provided lock-down coverage on a consistent basis. In Week 11, he limited Terry McLaurin of the Commanders to zero completions — McLaurin wasn’t even targeted because Mitchell was blanketing him so snugly. Rookie corners usually are penalty magnets, but Mitchell was called for only three of them. Mitchell is a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
CB Cooper DeJean: After taking Mitchell in the first round, the Eagles doubled up by taking another corner in the second round. DeJean ranked as the seventh-best rookie in the league in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing 51 receptions in coverage but for an average of only 7.3 yards per catch. He had three fumble recoveries and looks like he will be a solid slot corner for years to come. DeJean is a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The financial decisions
It is one thing to accumulate talent and it is another thing to retain it. The Eagles went into this season wanting to secure some of their top talent for the foreseeable future and they did that. In what may seem to be defying the boundaries of their salary cap, the Eagles came to terms with left tackle Jordan Mailata (three years, $66 million), left guard Landon Dickerson (four years, up to $87 million) and wide receivers A.J. Brown (three years, $96 million) and DeVonta Smith (three years, $75 million). Roseman now knows all these players are on the roster and that the Eagles can continue to build around them, rather than being forced to find replacements for them.
The ones that did not work out
There is a saying that no one bats 1.000 in personnel. The best general managers take swings and continue to take swings even if there are a few strikeouts. Roseman did make a few moves that did not pan out. The good ones, and the great ones, far outweighed the misfires.
The worst move was signing edge rusher Bryce Huff to a three-year deal worth $51 million — a deal that came down the same day the Eagles acquired Barkley and Baun. Roseman was convinced Huff’s breakout 2023 season (10 sacks) with the Jets made him a suitable replacement for Haason Reddick. Roseman was wrong. Huff struggled to stay healthy and get snaps, starting only six of the 12 games he played in. He contributed five solo tackles and 2.5 sacks. Another bust signing was linebacker Devin White, who was expected to immediately move into a starting role. White, a veteran leader from the Buccaneers (the No. 5 pick in the 2019 draft), never gained any traction with his new team. He was cut on Oct. 8, having never taken a snap for the Eagles. This was not a big expenditure by the Eagles, as only $3.5 million of the one-year, $7.5 million contract was guaranteed. Roseman signed veteran wide receiver DeVante Parker to a one-year deal for only $1.2 million and Parker retired two months after signing that deal.
The coaching additions
Sirianni needed to find two new coordinators and he filled those vacancies with Kellen Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense). These turned out to be perfect fits.
“We hit two home runs with those hires,’’ Sirianni said.
The hits kept coming, thanks in large part to the brilliant execution of a sensational offseason plan.
