Howard Roseman is the executive vice president of football operations for the Eagles. From 2010 until 2014 he was the general manager of the team and, at the time, was the youngest general manager in the NFL. Though he now has a new title, his job remains mostly the same.
After so many years of losses from Andy Reid and Chip Kelly, the Eagles were ready for a new phase. Roseman had some disagreements with Kelly, which led him [Roseman] to be stripped of his personnel responsibilities, including losing power over decision-making strategies; however, soon after Kelly was gone Roseman reclaimed his title and seized operations, paving the way to Super Bowl LII victory.The first step to get back on track was to change the atmosphere that Kelly left lingering from some bad decision-making. A few of the lingering mistakes left to recuperate from were roster changes like cutting wide receiver DeSean Jackson, trading running back LeSean McCoy, and not re-signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
Roseman’s background, risk management style, and decision-making expertise were fundamental for the Eagles’ rebuild. A few controversial changes were made such as getting rid of DeMarco Murray. Less than five months later, Roseman recovered that 2017 first-round pick by trading starting quarterback Sam Bradford to Minnesota, one week before the start of the regular season.
Roseman found the centerpiece of his team in Wentz, but there was one player that he couldn’t add: McCoy.Roseman has emphasized the importance of taking risks when strategizing, an attribute that showed forth in some risky personnel moves, which many have questioned. Without McCoy it was time to focus on Wentz. But one very important and definitive move that would pay off later was to secure a strong backup quarterback. Nick Foles was of fundamental importance when starter Carson Wentz was injured in the 2017 season. Roseman’s picks were responsible for 53 postseason points; there is no better support for Roseman’s changes. He ended up winning SN’s 2017 NFL Executive of the Year award over several quality candidates, including the Rams’ Les Snead, the Vikings’ Rick Spielman and the Jaguars’ duo of Tom Coughlin and David Caldwell.
The Patriots’ in-effect GM Bill Belichick also should be considered a perennial candidate. But for 2017, Roseman rightfully has won an award that is especially meaningful since it is voted upon by his NFL front-office peers. They respect the job that was done by a man who was close to walking the plank in Philadelphia.