'Nailed It!' What Have Eagles Offseason Moves Shown Us?
With the NFL offseason coming to a close, it feels like a natural time to reflect on the Philadelphia Eagles' moves so far.
All things considered, the Eagles had themselves a strong offseason. Yes, they did lose some key players through free agency and haven't made any trades of note outside of the draft. However, they managed to keep more key players than many expected, and they locked up star quarterback Jalen Hurts for the foreseeable future, huge victories in their own right.
That said, where Philadelphia really shined this offseason was at the draft. The Eagles had two first-round picks and made by selecting defensive tackle Jalen Carter and linebacker Nolan Smith, both from the Georgia Bulldogs. As the draft went on, the Eagles continued to make sound picks at important positions.
When all is said and done, the Eagles draft prowess is the main takeaway from their offseason, according to Sports Illustrated.
"This one is obvious," Sports Illustrated writes. "The Eagles continued to nail the draft after ending the first round with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. But the most impressive part is that the Eagles don’t need those two to produce right away because of the depth GM Howie Roseman has built through the draft and free agency. For example, Javon Hargrave left in free agency to San Francisco, and Jordan Davis, a 2022 first-round pick, was available to fill the void. That type of preparation will be how the Eagles will work around Hurts’s new contract taking a bulk of the salary cap for the foreseeable future."
It isn't just this year either, as Philadelphia has had a string of success in recent drafts. The Eagles have been far from perfect, but they did draft at least one Pro Bowl player in each draft from 2019 to 2021. That's not even including other key starters the Eagles have found in recent drafts, such tight end Dallas Goedert and receiver Devonta Smith. Additionally, last year's rookie class didn't see much playing time behind a stacked roster, so that group could break out this season as well.
Howie Roseman has had some ups and downs as the Eagles' general manager, but his strong drafting record in recent years has led to plenty of success and a bright future.
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