Howie Roseman, Eagles Aced The Draft With Just One Trade And Are A Super Bowl Contender Again

No matter what the Philadelphia Eagles did this offseason, this franchise wasn't winning a Super Bowl without a premium pass rusher.

That player didn't have to be Jaelan Phillips, who the organization let walk when the price was too rich for their blood. The Eagles were willing to may a high price to retain Phillips, but $30 million a season for a player not named Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, or Micah Parsons.

There are others, but those players are who the Eagles have have been linked to over the past few seasons. Perhaps the worst kept secret in the NFL is the Eagles' desire for a premium pass rusher.

When Phillips signed with the Carolina Panthers, Eagles general manager knew what was at stake. This franchise was going to trade A.J. Brown, which dominated the offseason talk for weeks. What was ignored was how the franchise was going to replace Phillips.

The Eagles weren't going to go into the season with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as the starting edge rushers. They couldn't, not if they wanted to win a Super Bowl.

Roseman has been down that road before, and it wasn't pretty for either he nor Vic Fangio. The Eagles couldn't get to the quarterback in the first eight weeks of last season, ranking 24th in sack rate (5.6%) and 11th in pressure rate (38.6%). The defense has a whole was affected, as Philadelphia was 18th in passing yards allowed per game (215.9) and 17th in points allowed per game (23.1).

The unit wasn't elite, until Roseman parted ways with a third-round pick in this year's draft for Phillips. The Eagles were first in points per game allowed (14.5), fourth in pressure rate (42.4%), and fourth in sacks (26.0) from Weeks 10-17 -- when Phillips played last season. They were also sixth in sack rate (9.3%), second in passer rating allowed (68.7), first in opponents completion rate (53.7%), and sixth in pass yards allowed per game (171.0).

In other words, elite.

This all changed for the defense after the Eagles acquired Phillips. He could consistently get to the quarterback and disrupt the pocket enough to allow the other playmakers on that side of the ball to make plays.

The biggest beneficiary was Hunt, who emerged into an elite pass rusher with Phillips around. Hunt had 5.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a 16.8% pressure rate from Week 10 onward last season -- Phillips' first game in an Eagles uniform.

Phillips was the blueprint to what the Eagles know. They have to get a premium pass rusher in order for the defense to be elite. This became the biggest chore of the offseason.

The Eagles were in on Trey Hendrickson, but couldn't sign him. They consistently checked in on Jonathan Greenard, and worked towards finalizing a deal. Philadelphia just didn't want to acquire Greenard -- the Eagles wanted to give him a new contract.

Roseman was able to pull it off. Thanks to having two third-round picks, the Eagles were able to move one of them this year (No. 98 overall) and a 2027 third-round pick (premium capital in a significantly better class) to land Greenard. Without getting a third-round pick from the New York Jets for Haason Reddick two years ago, the Eagles wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

The Eagles went to a Super Bowl in the Nick Sirianni era with an elite pass rusher in Reddick. They won a Super Bowl with a premium pass rusher in Josh Sweat. They know in order to compete for a Super Bowl, a roster needs a premium pass rusher.

Mission accomplished.

No matter who this team drafted, this offseason wasn't worth much if a premium pass rusher wasn't required. Whether that was Phillips, Hendrickson, Greenard, or whoever.

The Eagles hit a home run with their first two draft picks (Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers). They'll get a future first-round pick for A.J. Brown. They wasn't going to be a Super Bowl contender without a player like Jonathan Greenard on their roster.

Philadelphia has a difference maker at pass rusher. That's the ticket towards winning a championship -- and it's been proven time and time again.

The Eagles are a Super Bowl contender. They'll be in the mix for their third title in 10 years -- as long as Greenard is on the field.

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