Getty Howie Roseman.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has long been labeled a mover and a shaker. The 46-year-old front-office executive never met a deal he didn’t like, or a rumor he wasn’t willing to let linger. Now Roseman has been voted the “least trustworthy” in a recent NFL agent survey.
The Athletic’s Ben Standig did a deep dive on the inner workings of front offices around the league. He polled 33 NFL agents on various things like surprising offseason decisions, good and bad trades, and matters of transparency. The Eagles graded poorly on several of the 23 total questions asked, specifically when it came down to being honest.
To be fair, you probably don’t want the general manager to be “giving away the farm” but it is important to note the overwhelming consensus that Roseman is a guy not to be trusted. As one agent told Standig: “He’s a hedger. Always makes sure he has a side deal.” He received seven votes in the “least trustworthy” question. Here is a snippet from the survey:
9. Among GMs or front-office leaders, whom do you trust the least?
Eagles GM Howie Roseman (seven votes)
• “He’s always playing both sides at all times. He’s not dishonest. He’s a hedger. Always makes sure he has a side deal.”
• “Howie will do what Howie needs to do. I say that with tremendous reverence, but I don’t trust him.”
• “This is easy. He tells you one thing and does the opposite. You can tell him something and say it stays with us and then three or four people are hitting me up about what we discussed. It doesn’t make him a bad guy, but there’s no transparency.”
• “Why? Because he’s Howie. I would have said (former Washington team president) Bruce Allen, but he’s gone.”
Other interesting tidbits from the article included the Eagles earning two votes (fourth-worst, behind the Texans, Rams, Raiders) over which team had the most disappointing offseason. It cited the franchise having one of the worst rosters in football despite being three years removed from a Super Bowl. And it questioned the decision to hire Nick Sirianni, including that bizarre introductory press conference: “In that market, is he going to be Gase’d?” (A reference to Adam Gase). The Carson Wentz trade didn’t receive high marks either.
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Zach Ertz Set to Start Season in Philly
One of the guys that Roseman has seemingly been transparent about this offseason is Zach Ertz. He has continually stated that the three-time Pro Bowler is under contract and expects him to wear midnight green in 2021. To his credit, Ertz reported to training camp on time and participated in every single practice despite requesting a trade (via reports).
On Wednesday, Sirianni updated Ertz’s status and how he plans on using him this season. The new head coach might not be running as much 12 personnel (two tight ends) as his predecessor but Ertz and Dallas Goedert will both see the field. They are viewed as interchangeable No. 1 tight ends.
“It’s a good problem to have, right? Really good problem to have because you got two really good players right there,” Sirianni told reporters. “They are really efficient. You look at all our catch charts throughout the entire preseason practices, they’re both right up there with the most catches in team periods and they’re up there with the most targets and up there with the highest percentage.”
Jalen Hurts warming up with tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert before joint practice with Jets
Sirianni continued: “So, you always want to get your best players on the field, and so that doesn’t mean – just because we want to be a little bit more 11 than 12, it doesn’t mean you don’t mix it in and work through it. Again, we’re looking at all our different packages to give the defense different looks to look at. When we have two tight ends like that, that 12 personnel will cause people some fits.”