Wednesday afternoon the Eagles have acquired the 2nd overall pick in the draft from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for multiple picks. The bigger story however, was that President of Football Operations Howie Roseman had lost his mind. With this trade it is all too obvious the team is looking to draft either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff to be the future quarterback in Philadelphia.
I would now like to recap the past couple months of moves the Eagles have made. It was only back on March 1st that the team signed QB Sam Bradford to a 2 year $36 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed. The move came after months of debate and speculation as to whether or not the team would sign, franchise tag, or let Bradford walk. Then, just 8 days later, free agent quarterback Chase Daniel signed a 3 year $21 million contract, $12 million of the contract was guaranteed. Daniel, has started 2 games and played in 55 to this point of his NFL career.
In just 8 days’ time, Roseman tied up $37 million into one position on players who have well underachieved in their respective careers. How could a man in Roseman’s position invest so much into one position already, and then invest more months later? The answer to that is simply that owner Jeff Lurie has put too much trust in Roseman and has given Roseman too much confidence. I will give credit where credit is due however. The trades made earlier in the off-season to free up cap room and acquire the 8th overall pick, were nothing short of amazing. Which makes the trade on Wednesday so much more unbelievable and harder to swallow.
The picks traded away in future drafts are less the issue than the ones given away in this year’s draft. Their week offensive line, could have benefited from a young stud player who could provide stability in the years to come. The offense that lacks a serious threat to opposing defenses, would have been changed dramatically with a player like Ezekiel Elliot. It was already stated by Eagles brass that the team was in love with both Wentz and Goff and would draft either available player with the 2nd pick. The plan seems to be to go with Bradford this season and groom the new rookie on the bench. Most fans know the Eagles are far from a complete team or one that is ready to contend for a Super Bowl. However, drafting players that would play this season could have gotten them closer to a championship sooner rather than later. Speaking as someone who never liked Sam Bradford and didn’t like the signing of him, I still would have not traded away the prospect of three starters for one position, especially when so much money was already invested.
The move to me feels like a Sam Hinkie type move by Howie Roseman. In drafting Wentz or Goff, it gives him a few years of job security. Roseman, just last year had his power taken away from him by Jeff Lurie, and clearly wants to ensure he keeps his job at all costs this time around. If there is no immediate success for the new Eagle’s quarterback, it could be 4 or 5 years before the plug is pulled and the slate is wiped clean. Howie Roseman has made the biggest gamble in the history of this franchise. When all is said and done if the gamble ends up being a loss, Roseman will be gone, and the fans will be left to dwell in the aftermath.
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