Reviewing all of Howie Roseman’s moves this offseason after 2-2 start

Reviewing all of Howie Roseman’s moves this offseason after 2-2 start originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles are 2-2 as they come off their Week 5 bye week in the 2024 season and there’s still a long way to go.

So everything we’re about to go over has that major caveat — it’s early.

But after four games in 2024, some of the moves made by Eagles general manager Howie Roseman this offseason have worked and others haven’t. Again, it’s early enough that many of these moves can still go either way.

But since we have some time to kill during the bye week, let’s take a look back at all of Roseman’s significant moves from the 2024 offseason in chronological order.

February: Signed RB Tyrion Davis-Price, OL Darian Kinnard, OLB Julian Okwara

These moves obviously weren’t the biggest of the offseason. But Kinnard showed off some guard-tackle versatility in training camp and made the Eagles’ 53-man roster. Of the first four games, he has been active just once but because of his versatility was up over rookie Trevor Keegan. Davis-Price had a good training camp and is on the Eagles’ practice squad. Okwara was released and at final cuts and signed with the Cardinals’ practice squad. He has since been signed to Arizona’s 53-man roster and has played in three games this season and has 4 combined tackles in 61 defensive snaps.

Feb. 23: Re-signed TE Albert Okwuegbunam

The Eagles just can’t seem to quit Albert O. They kept him on their 53-man roster for most of 2023 without much to show for it and then re-signed him. But Okweugbunam had a quiet training camp. Before the start of the season, the Eagles placed Okwuegbunam on IR designated to return — using up one of their 8 total designations on him. So there’s a chance we could still see him in 2024.

March 9: Re-signed DE Brandon Graham

The Eagles gave Graham a one-year, $4 million deal for his 15th NFL season. If you were expecting some sort of ceremonial farewell tour, that isn’t happening. Graham, 36, has been playing a ton (49% of defensive snaps) and has been the Eagles’ best edge rusher through four games. There are concerns about Graham being able to play this much for a full season — he’s on pace for 540 snaps and he hasn’t had that many since 2020 — but Graham is looking really good right now. He’s playing so well, he won’t rule out coming back for a 16th season.

March 12: Re-signed P Braden Mann, LS Rick Lovato

The Eagles made sure their punter and long snapper didn’t reach the free agent market. Lovato got a one-year extension, while Mann got a two-year extension. Mann is off to a good start in his first full year as the Eagles’ punter:

March 13: Signed RB Saquon Barkley

The Eagles surprised a lot of people when they signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.5 million contract this offseason. It seemed like the Eagles were never going to spend big money on a running back but they thought Barkley was special. And they thought they saw a market inefficiency. Basically, they theorized that adding Barkley could greatly improve their offense for the price of an average wide receiver. So far, this move looks like a great one.

Through four games, Barkley was third in the NFL in rushing with 435 yards and is averaging an incredible 6.0 yards per carry and has 4 touchdowns. Barkley has also caught 12 passes for 85 yards and another score. You can certainly argue that Barkley has been the Eagles’ best player through a quarter of the season.

One of the reasons the Eagles signed Barkley was because they thought they had been leaving too much meat on the bone at the position. D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders had good seasons with the Eagles running behind a great offensive line but the Eagles hoped a player like Barkley could maximize his opportunities. He’s doing that. Barkley is second in the NFL in rushing over expected, averaging 2.2 rushing yards over expected per attempt. Basically, he’s maximizing every carry he gets.

While this move looks great now, one of the reasons teams are hesitant to pay running backs is because of the injury risk associated with playing the position and carrying a heavy workload. So we’ll see how Barkley holds up. But for now, this is looking like a major win.

March 13: Signed DE Bryce Huff

The Eagles clearly identified and targeted Bryce Huff in free agency. They quickly signed him to a three-year, $51 million deal as soon as they could. With the Jets, Huff had been a part-time player but was coming off a 10-sack season in 2023. But in the last few years, the advanced analytics showed that Huff had been one of the more productive edge rushers on a per-snap basis. The hope was that the Eagles were going to get Huff at a discount and his production would crossover into a full-time role in Philly.

That hasn’t gone to plan.

Through four games, Huff has been one of the biggest disappointments on the team. He has played 113 snaps (43%) but has just 2 combined tackles — one solo, one assist. He doesn’t have a single quarterback hit, let alone a sack, through about a quarter of the season. Huff has been a liability in the run game, which would probably be OK if he was still a productive pass rusher. But that just hasn’t been the case so far.

If you’re looking for a reason for optimism, Huff’s average get-off time is 0.80, per Next Gen Stats. That’s slower than the average of his last few seasons but is still the best on the team.

March 13: Signed LB Zack Baun

When the Eagles signed Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million contract, most folks thought it was to be a situational edge rusher. Because in his last season with the Saints, the former third-round pick finally started to show some juice when he was given the chance to rush the passer. But Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had a suspicion that Baun could play off-ball linebacker. And it looks like he was right.

In the spring, the Eagles had Baun on the field as one of the two-starters and continued that throughout training camp. While Nakobe Dean and Devin White were battling for the starting MIKE job, Baun was clearly the best WILL on the team. And through four games, he’s been good. He leads the team with 43 tackles, which is fifth in the NFL through Week 4. Baun already has a career high in tackles and he also has 2 sacks, 2 QB hits and 2 TFLs.

Baun might not be a Pro Bowler just yet but this signing is looking like a good one. Perhaps the Eagles will work to get an extension done at some point.

March 13: Signed OL Matt Hennessy

The veteran offensive lineman missed all of the 2023 season but the Eagles signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal to compete to be a backup center/guard and perhaps even battle for the starting right guard spot. But Hennessy was buried on the depth chart and then hurt his back in training camp. Hennessy was released at final cuts and joined the Falcons’ practice squad.

March 14: Signed WR DeVante Parker

The Eagles didn’t have to invest much to sign the former first-round pick and the upside was that he could end up being a solid No. 3 option for the Eagles behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But a couple months after signing with the Eagles, the 31-year-old decided to retire.

March 14: Signed S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

During the 2023 season, the Eagles definitely lacked some swagger and play-making ability. So they brought back Gardner-Johnson on a three-year deal worth $27 million. CJGJ and the Eagles had a falling out after the 2022 season when he ended up in Detroit for a season but both sides moved beyond that to get a deal done this offseason.

There’s no question that Gardner-Johnson has brought a ton of juice to the Eagles’ secondary. He has a ton of swagger and all of that has been as advertised. And he’s made a couple big tackles in four games. But he clearly hasn’t been playing well overall, especially in coverage. In 2022, Gardner-Johnson had 6 interceptions in 12 games. In four games this season, Gardner-Johnson doesn’t have a pick yet and he has just two pass breakups. He also leads the Eagles in missed tackles with eight, according to ProFootballFocus. PFF ranks him 66th out of 76 qualified safeties in 2024.

There’s still plenty of time for Gardner-Johnson to improve in Fangio’s defense. He hasn’t played well so far but a few big plays could change all that.

March 16: Traded for QB Kenny Pickett

While Jalen Hurts hasn’t been playing at an exceptionally high level so far this season, he has stayed healthy, playing all 276 offensive snaps. That means we haven’t seen Pickett in action yet.

The Eagles traded a 2024 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks in 2025 for Pickett and a 2024 fourth-rounder. During training camp, Pickett had some ups and downs and third-stringer Tanner McKee was generally more impressive. But the Eagles wanted an experienced backup and have Pickett under contract through the 2025 season.

March 18: Signed LB Devin White

It wasn’t break-the-bank money but the Eagles gave White a one-year, $4 million contract. That’s a pretty solid investment in the position for them. And when they signed White, the hope was that the former first-round pick would be able to rejuvenate his career in Philly after getting benched down the stretch in Tampa in 2023. After all, he is still 26 and is just a few years removed from a Pro Bowl season.

But White was beat out in training camp by Nakobe Dean for the MIKE linebacker job and has been inactive for the first four weeks of the 2024 season. Because White doesn’t play special teams, there’s not a game-day spot available for him. While White has said and done all the right things publicly, it has to sting to be a healthy scratch every week.

The Eagles would love to keep White around as a backup for Dean, who suffered some injuries last season and is an undersized off-ball linebacker. But we’ll see if they can keep White happy all year. Either way, this signing has been very disappointing.

March 19: Signed DT PJ Mustipher

The big nose tackle was in training camp competing for a roster spot but was released at final cuts. He has since signed with the Cardinals’ practice squad under head coach Jonathan Gannon.

March 19: Signed LB Oren Burks

After four years in Green Bay and two in San Francisco, Burks signed a one-year deal with the Eagles for some linebacker depth and special teams ability. He missed most of training camp with a knee injury and was released at final cuts. But Burks signed to the practice squad and was quickly promoted to the active roster a day later. So he has been on the 53-man roster for all four games this season and he has been active for each game too.

While Burks hasn’t seen a snap on defense through four games, he has played 74 special teams snaps (76%). He’s fifth on the team in special teams snaps behind Kelee Ringo, Ben VanSumeren, Tristin McCollum and Cooper DeJean. He has been a better signing than White so far.

March 21: Signed WR Parris Campbell

Even though he missed some time in training camp with a groin injury, Campbell was still the favorite to be the No. 3 receiver until the Eagles made a trade in August for Jahan Dotson. Because of that move, Campbell was released at final cuts. He initially didn’t want to join the practice squad but did and has been elevated three times in the first four weeks.

Campbell played 99 snaps from Weeks 2-4 but has been elevated the maximum number of times already. So if the Eagles want him on game days going forward, they’re going to have to find a roster spot for him. Campbell in three games has 6 catches for 30 yards and a touchdown.

March 21: Signed CB Tyler Hall

The veteran nickel corner was competing for a roster spot in training camp but was placed on IR in August. Eventually, he became a free agent. He spent a few days with the Seahawks in September and is now on the Jaguars’ practice squad.

March 23: Signed QB Will Grier

The veteran quarterback has spent a lot of time with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore so the Eagles view him almost as an extension of the coaching staff. Grier barely got any snaps in the summer as the fourth QB but is on the practice squad and is here to help the other QBs, especially Hurts.

March-April: Extended key players (OG Landon Dickerson, K Jake Elliott, S Reed Blankenship, OT Jordan Mailata, WR DeVonta Smith, WR A.J. Brown)

If you ask Roseman, he’ll tell you this was the most important element of the offseason and we shouldn’t lose sight of it. The Eagles prioritize taking care of their own players and getting deals done earlier than they need to. That was the case for all of these players, who are key contributors on the team. The Eagles handed out some big money to all these players, who are viewed as cornerstones of the franchise. Most of them have played only with the Eagles.

These moves aren’t just about the 2024 season but about building for the future too. All of these moves made a lot of sense and still look good a few months after putting pen to paper.

April 1: Traded OLB Haason Reddick

The Eagles finally traded away Reddick after months of speculation. In return from the Jets, the Eagles got a 2026 third-round pick that can turn into a second-rounder if certain conditions were met. That isn’t going to happen. Reddick would need to get 10+ sacks and play over 67.5% of the Jets’ defensive snaps. Those metrics were attainable but Reddick is in a contract impasse with the Jets and has been holding out. He has missed their first five games of the season and it looks like there’s no end in sight to the holdout.

On one hand, the Eagles clearly knew Reddick was unhappy with his contract and at least they got something for him. But the Eagles would clearly be a better team with Reddick, especially because their pass rush has struggled to generate any kind of consistent pressure. Maybe the Eagles should have just paid him.

April 4: Brought back DB Avonte Maddox 

The Eagles released Maddox on his former contract and then decided to bring him back on a cheaper deal. The 28-year-old veteran mostly played safety during training camp but has been the Eagles’ top nickel corner through four games and hasn’t played particularly well. It might be time to bench Maddox and see what rookie Cooper DeJean can bring to the position.

Through four games, Maddox has 10 tackles and 4 pass breakups. He has given up 10 catches on 19 targets for 115 yards, per PFF. Of 97 qualified cornerbacks, PFF ranks Maddox at No. 87.

April 11: Signed TE C.J. Uzomah

When the Eagles signed the veteran Uzomah, it seemed like he would have the inside track to become their No. 2 tight end. But it became apparent pretty quickly in training camp that Grant Calcaterra was the No. 2. Uzomah ended up having a disappointing summer and was released about a week before final cuts. Uzomah is not on a team right now.

April 25-27: The draft

It’s obviously way too early to judge a draft class but we’re putting this here because the early returns on first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell look very promising. The Eagles brought Mitchell (the No. 22 overall pick) along slowly. They first played him with the second team and then at nickel and then at outside and nickel and through the first four games of the season, he’s been a starting outside cornerback. He might not move for the next decade.

Mitchell has played 257 of 261 defensive snaps through four games and is one of the major bright spots on the 2-2 Eagles. Mitchell hasn’t been perfect but he has been playing well and it looks like his future is bright.

April 29: Signed OL Mekhi Becton

Becton was on the street until after the draft. While the former first-round pick had a reputation with the Jets of being unwilling to play other positions, he was very willing to play guard when Jeff Stoutland asked him. When Tyler Steen suffered an ankle injury on Day 3 of training camp, the Eagles took the opportunity to plug Becton into the right guard job and he has been there ever since.

Becton, 25, has looked very solid at guard through four games. He might be the weakest player on the Eagles’ offensive line but if he’s a weak spot, the Eagles are in pretty good shape. Through four games, Becton has given up 8 pressures and 3 sacks, which isn’t great. But he’s been very good in the run game.

Because he’s on a one-year deal and because he’s still so young, it might make sense for the Eagles to approach Becton during the season about an extension.

May 23: Signed WR John Ross

The Eagles brought Ross to rookie camp for a tryout and then signed him in May. The former first-round pick hadn’t played in a game since 2021 and was undoubtedly a good story this summer. But he didn’t make the team and was cut after training camp. He was brought back to the practice squad in Week 4 and played against the Bucs after being elevated — both Brown and Smith were out. He played 12 snaps in Tampa and had 1 catch for 6 yards.

June 3: Signed OL Max Scharping

The veteran offensive lineman was brought in late and failed to make the Eagles’ roster. He was then signed to the Commanders’ practice squad. On Oct. 1, Scharping was signed to the Steelers’ 53-man roster.

June 7: Signed CB Parry Nickerson

The veteran had one of the most fun plays of training camp with a long pick-6 but was never going to make the roster with all the depth at cornerback. He was released at final cuts.

July 30: Signed OL Nick Gates

This was a really late move from Roseman that seemed to pay off. While Gates didn’t make the initial roster and was signed to the practice squad, he was promoted to the active roster in mid-September and is the Eagles’ backup center on the depth chart. Although, when Cam Jurgens left the Bucs game briefly, the Eagles elected to move Dickerson to center and put Steen at left guard. So it would probably take a couple injuries to see Gates get playing time.

Aug. 22: Traded for WR Jahan Dotson

After no one really separated themselves as the WR3, the Eagles acquired Dotson from Washington in a trade that sent a third-round pick to the Commanders. So far, Dotson has not been very productive. In four games, he has played 200 snaps but has just 5 catches for 25 yards. He’s averaging just 0.2 yards per route run — that’s the lowest figure in the league among the 61 players who have run at least 100 routes.

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