Identifying 5 Offseason Priorities for Eagles GM Howie Roseman

The new league year begins on March 15, but plans for what the next roster will look like and how it will be built have been in place for months already.

“I think for us during the season, we are doing everything for 2023 during the season,” said GM Howie Roseman. “So, this isn't like, hey, we're a month behind and we're starting from scratch. We've been working this, and coach will come to my office on a Wednesday who are you watching, tell me about this guy.

“It's not like we're starting from scratch here. We're going to evaluate all the players. We're going to make sure that we keep our priorities in the right place here for this offseason.”

What are some of Roseman’s off-season priorities?

Here’s what I think five of them should be:

Extend Jalen Hurts

This will happen and it's a no-brainer. It's a move that could be the first step Roseman takes as he wrestles with the salary cap and where others fit into the financial picture.

Get Clarity from Jason Kelce

Will the veteran center retire or not? Isaac Seumalo’s future with the team could hang in the balance with the answer to that question.

If Kelce retires, expect the Eagles to make a push to bring back the right guard as Cam Jurgens takes over at center. The Eagles probably wouldn’t want to have to plug two holes on the O-line should Kelce ride into the sunset.

If Kelce returns, the Eagles could still try to retain Seumalo, but the urgency wouldn’t be as great as Jurgens, or maybe even Jack Driscoll, likely moves to right guard.

Inject youth on the corner

It feels like it’s past time to draft a cornerback on day 1 or 2. The Eagles haven’t dipped into that territory since 2017 when they took Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas on Day 2, in the second and third rounds, respectively.

They’ve drafted just two corners since 2018 and both were in the fourth round, with Avonte Maddox coming in 2018 and Zech McPhearson in 2021. While Jones and Douglas never really found their footing in Philly, Maddox has become one of the league’s top nickel corners and McPhearson has blossomed on special teams.

Meanwhile, Darius Slay’s play tailed off later in the season but, at age 32, he is still one of the game's top corners who made his fifth Pro Bowl. However, he has a base salary of $17 million this season and a salary cap number of $26.1M this year, suggesting a restructure is in order.

James Bradberry is 30 and a free agent. The Eagles would like to have him back, per sources, but may find that challenging.

Either way, the Eagles need to get younger and cheaper at this position.

Find a backup quarterback

This feels like an under-the-radar priority, but something that needs to be considered. Hurts has missed games the past two seasons with an ankle injury and, this year, a shoulder injury.

Gardner Minshew is an adequate backup, but he went 0-2 in relief this year and is a free agent looking for a team that will give him the chance to compete to be the starter. How that market develops for him remains to be seen.

The Eagles should, and probably will look for an upgrade here.

Who?

Given the strong possibility that a backup will see time, maybe Jacoby Brissett, who has familiarity with Sirianni during their time together in Indianapolis, or Taylor Heinicke makes more sense than someone like Andy Dalton, Mason Rudolph, or Kyle Allen.

Brissett made slightly more than $6.5 million on a one-year deal in Cleveland last year as the starter until Deshaun Watson’s suspension ended. He has been with three different teams in the past three seasons, but he just turned 30, and threw for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions last year while completing 64% of his passes.

Remarkably, Heinicke also threw 12 TDs and six picks though completed a lesser percentage of those passes at 62% than Brissett.

Get a punter

Arryn Siposs just hasn’t been consistent enough during his two-year run. As if his 36-yard shank wasn’t bad enough in the Super Bowl LVII, the punt went the wrong direction, too, making it easy for Kadarius Toney to return it 65 yards to change the complexion of the game.

Of course, it’s more than one punt that has defined Siposs’ time in Philly, but a collection of misfires. If nothing else, at least bring in some competition for him.

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