Does Fletcher Cox move cement Howie Roseman’s status as top dog? Assessing Eagles GM’s cap magic so far
Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman has worked some magic this offseason. The Eagles had quite a few key Pro Bowl players they were expected to lose, such as Jason Kelce, James Bradberry and Darius Slay.
They were expected to cut Slay and there was no clear path ahead for the rest of them. After a bit of cap magic, Josina Anderson is reporting that the Eagles have somehow made it all work.
Good morning NFL fans. ICYMI, the #Eagles have found a way to keep 4 Pro Bowlers in Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, James Bradberry & Darius Slay due to what a league source said late yesterday is the “cap creativity” of GM Howie Roseman. twitter.com/josinaanderson…
She tweeted:
"Good morning NFL fans. ICYMI, the Eagles have found a way to keep 4 Pro Bowlers in Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, James Bradberry & Darius Slay due to what a league source said late yesterday is the 'cap creativity' of GM Howie Roseman."
NFL GMs often find ways to get more money when there arguably isn't any. They restructure contracts, convert deals into bonuses and more to move money around. Howie Roseman appears to be getting rather adept at that.
The Eagles and Fletcher Cox agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal, which allows them to keep him and other core members of their defense. They'd already re-signed James Bradberry and didn't have to cut Darius Slay after all.
They still probably need to extend Jalen Hurts after his MVP runner-up season, but if there's a GM in the league who can balance all of that, it's probably Roseman.
Is Howie Roseman the best GM in the NFL?
There are quite a few GMs in the NFL flexing their muscles this offseason. Scott Fitterer of the Carolina Panthers nabbed Hayden Hurst and Miles Sanders and traded up for the number one overall pick. However, none of them are doing as well as Roseman.
The Eagles were facing a tough time. They haven't resolved the Hurts situation, but they have managed to retain their most important free agents. They've retained the core of the defense that played a big role in their Super Bowl appearance.
Combine that with the fact that Roseman fleeced A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans a year ago and it's clear that there aren't many better GM's around.
Roseman continues to make the Eagles roster work. When he finds a way to do all of that and extend Jalen Hurts (and he undoubtedly will), it'll be yet another notch in his belt to prove that he's probably the best executive working in the NFL today.
When all seemed lost with Carson Wentz and his mega contract going nowhere, Roseman and the Eagles turned it around in stunning fashion.