Translating Howie Roseman's LB Talk

When it comes to the relationship between a general manager and head coach, Howie Roseman learned from one of the best in future Hall of Fame mentor Andy Reid.

The former Eagles coach and current Kansas City pilot taught Roseman a valuable lesson: the personnel department needs to be an extension of the coaching staff.

"I think I was very fortunate to start my career working with a Hall of Fame coach, and he always talked about the fact that we have to be extensions of the coaching staff," Roseman told SI.com's Eagle Maven back in January. "If there is not a fit, if there is not a vision, if we're drafting players who don't fit the particular schemes of our coaching staffs, these players are not going to develop into the players that we want them to be."

Roseman hinted at that again this week in Indianapolis when talking about the team's hesitancy to draft linebackers in the first round of the draft, something that has become an annual storyline stretching back over 40 years.

The last time the franchise selected an off-ball LB in the first round of the draft was 1979 when Jerry Robinson came off the board at No. 21 overall and Roseman was 4 years old.

That historic drought is unlikely to change this year with only two LBs expected by most draft observers to have first-round grades: Utah's Devin Lloyd and Georgia's Nalobe Dean.

Some ears did perk up, however, when Roseman explained evaluation will be a little different now with Jonathan Gannon back for a second season as defensive coordinator.

"I think when you look at our defense and the role of the linebackers, coach Schwartz [former Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz], who obviously was a phenomenal defensive coach for us, there were three off-the-ball linebackers," Roseman explained.

"The definition of what our linebackers are doing has changed with coach Gannon," the GM continued. "And, again, we have to find players that fit our coaches' scheme. That's the most important thing, that we're finding players that fit what we're trying to do offensively, defensively, and on special teams."

Those words had some running off in the wrong direction, assuming the disdain of LBs at the top of the draft might end especially with the Eagles entering the process with three first-round picks.

However, what Roseman was really signaling was Gannon's use of a SAM LB in multiple fronts vs. Schwartz's preference.

Meanwhile the logical first-round options this year are both projected to be off-ball LBs and the Eagles believe they stumbled into a very good one last season when former undrafted free agent T.J. Edwards developed into a top-10 player at the position per ProFootballFocus.com.

The team also remains high on the athletic Davion Taylor at the other off-ball spot.

"Obviously T.J. had a heck of a year, a really good year," Roseman said.

Where the Eagles could use an upgrade is at SAM where Genard Avery fit in last season and rookie Patrick Johnson mixed in a bit, getting his feet wet.

Any potential upgrade there would likely come in free agency or later in the draft.

"We have a bunch of other young players at the position, and we'll just see what happens in free agency and the draft," Roseman noted before insisting the personnel department is "grading linebackers just like we're grading every other position."

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.

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