After the Eagles went 4-11-1 in 2020, Howie Roseman cleaned house, hired a new coach, traded quarterback Carson Wentz and put the franchise on a brief rebuild.
Calling it a retool, Roseman gave Jalen Hurts the keys to the franchise, accrued draft picks, and watched as the team made the playoffs a year early in 2021.
After losing to the Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card round, Roseman set out on a plan to give Hurts another elite wide receiver while furnishing Jonathan Gannon’s defense with the weapons needed to have a Super Bowl-caliber unit.
The results were a 14-3 record and a matchup against the Chiefs.
With Philadelphia returning to practice, here are the seven most important moves that helped get the Eagles to the big game.
1
Howie Roseman stood firm at QB
During the 2023 NFL offseason, there was talk of Philadelphia drafting a quarterback, along with potential trades for Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers.
Howie Roseman ignored all of the potential trades or big moves and stood firm with Jalen Hurts a quarterback, and the rest is history.
An argument can be made that Hurts outplayed Watson, Wilson, and Rodgers this season while establishing himself as an MVP candidate.
The most important move was the move Roseman didn’t make at all.
2
Signed LB Haason Reddick to a three-year contract
The most important move of the entire NFL offseason may have been Roseman securing the services of Haason Reddick just hours after the start of free agency.
A former walk-on at Temple, Reddick turned that hard work into all-conference status, a Senior Bowl invite, and the 13th pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Reddick signed with the Eagles after logging 23.5 sacks over the past two years with Arizona and Carolina, in two different schemes.
He nearly recorded his two-year total in 2022, logging 16.5 regular-season sacks, and another 3.5 during the playoffs.
3
Traded a 2022 first-round pick (No. 18 overall) and a 2022 third-round pick (No. 101 overall) to Tennessee for WR A.J. Brown
Looking to add another talented pass catcher to the mix, Roseman used the No. 18 pick acquired from the Saints and traded it to the Titans for wide receiver A.J. Brown.
After trading for Brown, the Eagles signed the wide receiver to a four-year, $100 million deal, surrounding quarterback Jalen Hurts with two elite pass catchers.
All Brown did was log a career-best 88 catches for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns while earning All-Pro honors.
4
Signed CB James Bradberry to a one-year contract
After waiting for the Giants to release Bradberry, Howie Roseman pounced and signed the talented cornerback to a one-year, $7.5 million deal with incentives.
The move gave Philadelphia two elite cornerbacks, took a weapon away from an NFC East rival, and allowed defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to empty the playbook.
This season, Bradberry had the third-lowest opponent passer rating (55.9) in the NFL during the 2022 season (min. 50 targets)
Ranked third in the league in the regular season with 17 passes defended
He started 17 games and played 98 percent of the team’s defensive snaps (1,017)
Recorded 3 interceptions for 54 return yards, including a 27-yard INT return for a touchdown at Detroit (Week 1)
5
Signed undrafted free agents Britain Covey and Reed Blankenship
Philadelphia was handicapped during the NFL draft after making two blockbuster trades, but GM Howie Roseman was banking on a deep undrafted free-agent class.
The Eagles initially signed 12 undrafted free agents with Josh Sills, Blankenship, and Covey making the 53-man roster.
The 5-foot-8, 172-pound Covey contributed to the Eagles’ NFC championship as an undrafted rookie out of Utah.
After starting the season on the practice squad, Covey was elevated for Game 2 against the Minnesota Vikings and has been in the lineup ever since, with Philadelphia signing him to the 53-man roster.
Covey’s best performance came in the 35-10 over the Titans when he logged six punt returns for 105 yards (17.5 per return) with a long of 27 yards.
On the season, Covey has returned 33 punts for 308 yards and most importantly, he hasn’t cost the Eagles.
Blankenship was an undrafted free agent and he only got $55,000 to sign with Philadelphia, but he hasn’t looked back since.
Blankenship was inserted into the lineup when C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney and he never looked back.
The former Middle Tennessee State safety finished the regular season rated 19th by Pro Football Focus out of 101 safeties who played at least 200 defensive snaps.
During the Super Bowl run, he’s fourth among 33 safeties who’ve played 50 snaps.
6
Acquired S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the Saints in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick
Over a two-week period, Roseman acquired safety Ugo Amadi from Seattle in exchange for the wide receiver, turned tight end J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
After watching Amadi perform in preseason action, the Eagles traded the safety to the Titans for a late-round pick and then included that pick in the deal that landed Gardner-Johnson in the lineup.
A swiss army knife who had only played in the slot for New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson flourished at safety for Philadelphia, leading the NFL in interceptions with 6, and going through a five-game stretch where he logged five turnovers.
Gardner-Johnson made himself millions with his play, and his versatility was key in the Eagles having one of the league’s top defenses.
7
Signed DT Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph
Over a 27-hour period, the Eagles signed defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh to deals after Jordan Davis suffered a high ankle sprain.
The duo was signed after the Commanders and Texans had gashed Philadelphia on the ground, with Washington handing the Eagles their first loss of the season on Monday night football.
Both players saw action in the Week 11 win over the Colts, helping to hold star running back Jonathan Taylor in check.
Roseman didn’t overreact once the winning ways returned, keeping both Suh and Joseph for the remainder of the regular season, and giving Jonathan Gannon a rotation of defensive tackles and edge rushers that no team in the NFL currently has.
