PHILADELPHIA — Jeffrey Lurie answered the question with a question, and with a coarseness both charming and alarming coming from a man with a Ph.D. from an ivory tower like Brandeis University.
“Jesus,” said the Eagles’ owner, “if Howie’s not Executive of the Year, who is?”
Good question, professor.
Howie Roseman was the Aaron Judge of NFL execs in 2022. He just kept hitting home run after home run.
Freed from the 2021 salary-cap prison created by Carson Wentz’s treachery, Roseman remodeled the Eagles’ roster and turned a rickety, 9-8 fixer-upper into a 14-win showplace. From A.J. Brown, to Haason Reddick, to first-round pick Jordan Davis, Roseman didn’t just have a great year; he had the best year in the history of Eagles general managers. It might be one of the best years in NFL history.
That’s why, when voting by the Pro Football Writers Association ends Jan. 18, Roseman — who won The Sporting News Executive of the Year award after the 2017 Super Bowl season — should win it again, in a landslide.
Does he want it?
“It would really speak to how good my staff has been,” Roseman told me after his Eagles clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed Sunday night.
You might recall that one of the big offseason stories involved the recent exodus of the Eagles’ top executives. In fact, according to an Eagles source, Roseman was actually less influenced this year than he has been in the past. He didn’t deny it.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Roseman said. “I’d like to think I’ve figured some things out.”
But, to answer Lurie’s question, Roseman has competition.
The best of the rest
Bills GM Brandon Beane is reaping rewards of several years of shrewdness, but he won in 2020, and this isn’t a lifetime achievement award.
Lions GM Brad Holmes has had two great drafts, and the trade of Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and a king’s ransom of draft equity seems to be paying off for Detroit, which won nine games this season, six more than in 2021.
John Lynch’s trade for Christian McCaffrey in October might land the 49ers in the Super Bowl come February, but he gets little credit for Brock Purdy, the rookie quarterback who has led the team to six wins in a row. If Lynch knew Purdy was this good, he wouldn’t have waited until the seventh round to draft him.
When Brett Veach shipped receiver Tyreek Hill to Miami for five draft picks, including a first- and second-rounder, the Chiefs looked like they’d be ordinary for a change. But Veach patched-and-filled, got a strong season from rookie defensive lineman George Karlaftis, and Patrick Mahomes had an MVP year.
And how about them Jaguars? A year ago, Trent Baalke — who arrived in Jacksonville with baggage and was one of the architects of a team that went 4-29 in 2020 and 2021 — was scaring off coaching candidates. A year later, the Jags are in the playoffs in part because Baalke signed some quality targets for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Tight end Evan Engram and receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones put together career years in their first seasons as Jaguars.
It’s also tough to overlook first-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who hired Coach of the Year candidate Kevin O’Connell, reset Minnesota’s roster with assets and youth, and helped the team earn the No. 3 seed. But Adofo-Mensah also traded for Eagles bust Jalen Reagor, so how good can he really be?
Then again, Roseman drafted Reagor.
That’s how far Howie’s come.
Bangers
Roseman got so much right in the past year that it’s hard to rank which decision was best.
The splashiest move, of course, was trading first- and third-round picks for Titans receiver Brown, then signing Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract. He’s been a steal; Brown on Sunday broke Mike Quick’s team record for receiving yards in a season, with 1,496.
Next? You might say the three-year, $45 million free-agent contract that landed edge rusher Reddick, the Temple product who logged 16 sacks and made it to his first Pro Bowl. Reddick was one of four Eagles who recorded double-digit sack totals, and the Birds’ 70 sacks led the NFL.
I say, the sacks happened because the defensive backs were great.
That’s why I’d choose the one-year, $10 million deal that landed cornerback James Bradberry. Roseman had declined to trade for Bradberry, waiting instead for the Giants to cut the cornerback as a salary-cap move. Bradberry has been every bit as valuable as fellow corner Darius Slay, who made the Pro Bowl.
The Birds finished with the top pass defense in the NFL, and Roseman’s moves went beyond Bradberry. C.J. Gardner-Johnson still shares the NFL interceptions lead (six) even though he missed five games. This from a nickel corner who converted to full-time safety after Roseman got him from New Orleans for late-round draft picks.
Fletcher Cox, for all his warts and waning, remains the defensive tackle who anchors the dynamic line. Roseman released Cox in June, a salary-cap maneuver, because Roseman then re-signed Cox two days later to a one-year, $14 million contract and saved $4 million. Cox, 32, responded with seven sacks, the most he has had in four seasons.
Roseman coaxed another 30-something — center Jason Kelce, 35 — to delay retirement at least one more year, and, for $9 million, Kelce gave the Eagles a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl season.
First-round rookie Davis, a massive defensive tackle, started Games 2 through 7 next to Cox before an ankle injury stymied his season.
There were lesser moves, too.
After Davis and second-year backup Marlon Tuipulotu landed on injured reserve near midseason, Roseman snatched faded stars Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph off their couches and put them on the field.
Roseman wasn’t perfect. Linebacker Kyzir White has largely been invisible, and neither Derek Barnett nor Robert Quinn was effective or healthy at defensive end.
Oh, well. Even Judge strikes out occasionally.
