If you listened to Howie Roseman address the media at the NFL league meetings on Monday, then you had to come away feeling like the Eagles were never going to draft a running back high again? The Eagles have a need for a dynamic playmaker at running back, yet the Eagles VP seems satisfied with his backfield by committee. Speaking Monday at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix, Roseman tried to help calm Eagles fans, while sounding like a man prepared to sure both his offensive and defensive lines first.
Roseman talked around the Eagles not adding a running back, and instead focused on the Birds philosophy of building up a strong roster in the trenches first.
Roseman passed on the obvious big named running backs in free agency, allowing backs like Tevin Coleman and Mark Ingram to sign below market deals with the 49ers and Ravens for $5 million a season. Roseman’s reasoning was simple, the running backs on his roster are proven Super Bowl winners.
“The three running backs who played in the Super Bowl were all guys we acquired after the 2017 NFL Draft. The talent acquisition period continues to go,” Roseman said. “We want to have the best possible team. We are going to look into everything. That is our job, and at the same time we have to grow and develop our young players.”
Jay Ajayi is currently testing free agency and could return on a below-market deal. The guys currently on the roster, Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, and Josh Adams have all shown flashes, but neither has been able to add that needed dimension to the running game. Even with that said, Roseman likes what he has.
“We are excited about those guys. Corey, a guy that was a huge part of a Super Bowl winning team and our Super Bowl win. Josh Adams showed in flashes what he can do. Obviously, those guys coming off offseason injuries and a big part of that is getting them back and getting them part of the program. That jump for Josh from year one to year two is big. For Corey, from year two to year three. You also talk about Wendell. When he has been called to play he has been a solid player. We got a guy in Boston Scott off the practice squad of the Saints who has tools in his body and traits to develop. There are players there, but at the same time, we are always looking to improve the team.”
For Eagles fans hoping for Josh Jacobs or David Montgomery in the first or second round, remember that the Eagles — with Roseman at the helm — haven’t picked a running back in the first-or-second round in the NFL Draft since 2009.
