Eagles takeaways from Howie Roseman: Why they signed Saquon Barkley, the appeal of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, an under-the-radar signing

ORLANDO, Fla. — Howie Roseman last met with reporters at the combine, when all the moves were speculative and the general manager wanted to keep his plans close quiet. One month later, Roseman met with reporters at the annual league meeting after adding more than a dozen players since the start of the league year. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the interview with Roseman:

1. The Eagles finally invested in Saquon Barkley because they believe he’s a “special player” and a “freak” 

Roseman might push back on the suggestion that the Eagles don’t invest in running backs because they’ve given LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook big deals during the past two decades, but the Barkley signing was a departure from how the Eagles approached the position during the past decade. The Eagles made the exception because they view Barkley as a top-end talent who can have a significant effect on the offense, and that type of player is rare in free agency.

“For us, it’s hard to find special players at any position,” Roseman said. “We think Saquon is a special player. We think he’s a special person. And so when you’re trying to find those guys, they’re hard to find — especially on the open market. And then you put into the dynamic of has the pendulum swung so far at this position — I mean, the guy touches the ball 300 times a year, hopefully. There’s not a lot of other players, skill-position players, that are touching the ball that many times and have that effect.”

In other words, the Eagles can make an exception for an exceptional player. And that’s what Barkley must be for this contract to be worth it for the Eagles, who have been one of the most efficient running offenses with less-expensive running backs. But Barkley’s ability to be a three-down running back who can be an explosive running back with the power to pick up yards after contact, the receiving ability to be a difference-maker in the passing game and the pass-blocking to play on three downs swayed them. The hope is that Barkley can have a similar effect as Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco — making a strong offense an even more potent force. And with other positions getting paid comparable dollars — Darnell Mooney is making a similar average annual salary as Barkley — the Eagles saw an opportunity to pay at the position. 

The Eagles are also fighting an age curve and a workload curve. McCoy was 24 when he signed his deal. Westbrook never had more than 250 touches when he signed his deal. Barkley is 27 with four seasons in which he topped 250 touches. Roseman acknowledges this curve they’re facing, but they believe Barkley is the exception.

“The player trains unbelievably,” Roseman said. “He’s a freak. You see that in his testing numbers, his body. You see that in his GPS speed. We believe in the player, and we think based on the resources and where you can put resources, and the resources that go to that amount in the league, this made a lot of sense for us.”

2. There’s no update on Haason Reddick while the Eagles believe Bryce Huff  is ready for a bigger role

Roseman declined to comment on Reddick, who remains permitted to seek a trade while he desires a new contract. Meanwhile, the Eagles have big plans for Huff, who signed a three-year, $51.1-million deal even though he was not a full-time starter with the Jets.

“Heavy-handed, understands leverage, has explosiveness in his body,” Roseman said. “The Jets did an unbelievable job of having that edge rusher position really filled with five or six guys, when I look at their depth chart. …They were trying to find roles and find playing time based on the amount of guys they had — first-round picks, guys with (big) contracts. We see it on tape. We obviously believe in also we want (to be) deep in our edge guys, 90 percent of the time we believe in having these fastballs off the edge and getting guys in the game. I think his perception that he’s a liability against the run, obviously we’ll see that, but we know he has the tools in his body to make a difference and we’re excited about him.”

Huff, 25, fits the age profile the Eagles seek in free agency, and they think his 10-sack season with the Jets was scratching the surface. It’s similar to Reddick when the Eagles signed Reddick two years ago, although Huff doesn’t have the starting experience. But Huff is going to need to play a bigger role with the contract he signed, and for that to happen, it’s hard to envision teaming up with Reddick and Josh Sweat unless one of the incumbents takes on a reduced role. The guess here is that the Eagles still try to move Reddick, and they’ll remain patient in search of their price. 

As for Huff against the run? LIke Roseman said, he must prove it. But Jets coach Robert Saleh noted that being a top-end pass rusher is a valuable skill: “Elite, elite pass rusher,” Saleh said. “Closes game. People want to say all he does is rush the passer, but all Mariano Rivera did was close ninth innings. He’s a pretty darn good pass rusher and he’s going to be great for Philadelphia.”

3. The Eagles missed C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s swagger last season

Talent is always the driving force when adding a player, but Roseman was not shy in acknowledging that the Eagles wanted Gardner-Johnson’s competitive zeal on defense.

“That would be accurate to say: We were looking to gain our swagger and mentality back,” Roseman said. “Obviously what happened at the end of the year didn’t feel good, wasn’t acceptable for any of us. You get players who can bring that and have that motivation and that mentality.” 

Roseman added that Gardner-Johnson “loves to play, loves to practice, loves to compete” and that it’s “hard to find” players with Gardner-Johnson’s ball skills. The Eagles are always looking for realistic upgrades, but they like Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, and Sydney Brown (recovering from injury) as their top safeties at this point in the offseason. 

4. Devin White’s athleticism makes him a fit for Vic Fangio — and the motivation is a good thing, too

White has a reputation for freelancing, although Roseman focused more on White’s speed, explosiveness, and versatility as reasons why he would fit with Vic Fangio. The Eagles have long known about White, who was the No. 5 pick in the draft in 2019. White was available at a modest salary because of a down year in 2023 when hoping for a new contract in Tampa Bay, and Roseman thinks that factor could allow the Eagles to get a better version of White in 2024. 

“Just like we didn’t have our best years, (White) would admit he didn’t have his best year,” Roseman said. “Sometimes you get into situations where you’re close to free agency, and you’re trying to make plays, and this is a guy who’s a captain, obviously has been a tremendous player, he fits what we’re looking for — a guy who’s incredibly motivated, understands there are guys in this free agency who two years ago didn’t have good years and come back two years later and have huge contracts.”

It’s true that if White returns to his early-career form, he could be in line for a bigger payday next season. But that’s not guaranteed, and the Eagles didn’t pay top-of-the-market price. They liked Oren Burks early in free agency, and when Burks was still available one week in, they added him as veteran insurance behind White and Nakobe Dean.

5. The Eagles still have work to do at cornerback — and they’re honest about James Bradberry

When asked about the state of the cornerback situation, Roseman started by touting Darius Slay. The Eagles liked the way Slay played against No. 1 receivers last season and still think Slay has the athleticism and talent to be a top cornerback.

There’s less of a commitment at the No. 2 cornerback spot. One year ago, the Eagles thought Bradberry still had a few productive seasons remaining. They’re hoping for a bounceback, although they’re not spinning the way he played in 2023. 

“It’s obvious to everyone, including J.B., that J.B. didn’t have the year that he was expecting and that we were expecting,” Roseman said. “Obviously he understands that, and he’s driven to show he’s the player that he was in 2022.”

The hope for Bradberry to return to form because he’s done it before after down years, but it’s not as if that’s the centerpiece of their plans at cornerback. And he still must prove that he should even be in their plans.

Roseman liked what he saw from Kelee Ringo late last season, and they traded a 2024 third-round pick to land Ringo last year. Eli Ricks has potential. The Eagles are waiting on Isaiah Rodgers to be reinstated from a gambling suspension, but Rodgers is part of the Eagles’ plans upon his return. They also think Tyler Hall is an interesting piece in the slot who they once wanted to sign when he was on the Raiders’ practice squad. 

But Roseman did not speak as someone who was finished at the position. More help could come via the draft or trade.

“Again, it’s March 25,” Roseman said. “We’ll see where it ends up here as we go through the process.”

6. The Kenny Pickett trade was about investing in the No. 2 position with someone that the Eagles liked in 2022

The Pickett move had nothing to do with the top of the depth chart and was a clear attempt by Roseman to find a backup quarterback with experience. Roseman said the Eagles still like Tanner McKee, although they clearly sought someone with fewer question marks as the No. 2 quarterback. Roseman said the Eagles evaluate quarterbacks in the draft every year with the possibility they could become available later in their careers, and that’s the case with Pickett. Although the general manager suggested Pickett is more athletic than Pickett’s reputation, the Eagles are not bound to the idea that the backup quarterback must have a similar playing style to the starter.

“We can’t find 32 in the world that can play at an elite level,” Roseman said. “So we’re now basically looking for a specific skill set as opposed to, is this a good player, can this guy do things? And we feel that…we can dictate our offense based on a player’s skill set.”

7. Pay attention to Zack Baun as an under-the-radar signing

It’s not a coincidence that the three players the Eagles added when free agency opened were Barkley, Huff, and Baun. Baun does not have the same profile (or salary) as Barkley and Huff, but the Eagles targeted him from the start. They viewed Baun as a fit for Fangio who can play a similar role to Andrew Van Ginkel in Miami last season.

“You saw that guy in Vic’s defense, has the ability to play off the ball, has the ability to play on the edge, has these tools in his body, really ascend under Vic,” Roseman said. “We think Zack’s a versatile player who can rush from the edge, can play off the ball, tremendous special teams player. We were excited — he was a targeted guy for us.”

Baun played mostly off-ball linebacker with the Saints before getting more work at edge rusher later in his career. Look for Baun to help as a pass rusher while Fangio utilizes his versatility in different ways. This is not merely a depth signing. Baun could play a role on the Eagles’ defense this season.