The Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl is good news for the NFL. It shows that you can still win a Championship with a great defensive performance and that you don’t necessarily need a legendary quarterback (Mahomes, Brady) to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
There are a few things that need to be noted though, as Seahawks fans inevitably second-guess moves made by their own team in comparison to moves made by Eagles GM Howie Roseman.
In 2020 the Eagles took Jalen Reagor with the 20th overall pick. The player taken 21st overall was Justin Jefferson. Nothing else needs to be said.
In that same draft, they took Jalen Hurts with the 53rd pick. Todd McShay called it a “mistake” to build around Hurts, criticising his accuracy and noting he was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa in Alabama. “Can you win a Super Bowl with Jalen Hurts?” questioned McShay.
Eytan Shander from Philly Voice wrote an article in 2020 titled: ‘Drafting Jalen Hurts puts more pressure, criticism on pretty much everyone’ — noting:
What happens now is on everyone involved and it begins with the people who brought Hurts to Philadelphia. We know – or at least we should by now – that it’s not Howie Roseman taking over the draft board like a belligerent Chip Kelly.
Over the years the Eagles have whiffed several times with high picks. Andre Dillard was a bust in round one. We’ve already mentioned Reagor. Jordan Davis hasn’t worked out as intended with the 13th overall pick. Nolan Smith is kind of in the Boye Made/Derrick Hall territory of player.
It’s not just the draft. Bryce Huff, a $51m signing last off-season, was a healthy scratch against the Chiefs.
Prior to the Eagles’ first Super Bowl title in 2017, they’d gone 7-9 in the two previous seasons. Before losing control of personnel decisions to Chip Kelly, Roseman was GM from 2010 to 2014. Within that period, the Eagles’ record was 42-38. After beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Philadelphia were 31-33 over the next four seasons.
So while Roseman has done a tremendous job building his team, to the tune of a likely place in the Hall of Fame one day, he isn’t flawless. Neither is what he’s achieved impossible to copy.
So what can the Seahawks learn from his approach? The key thing he has done that the Seahawks haven’t, in my opinion, is the same thing the 49ers did in order to elevate themselves into Super Bowl contention. They’ve acquired brilliant veterans to combine with the hits they’ve had in the draft.
The 49ers trading for Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey took San Francisco to a new level. Combined with intelligent picks (George Kittle, Fred Warner etc) and some splashes in free agency (Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrave) they crafted a team capable of competing at the highest level.
The Eagles adding AJ Brown via trade, Saquon Barkley in free agency and then having the nouse to see opportunities in Zack Baun and Mekhi Becton helped take the Eagles to the top of the game, combined with the draft picks they hit on.
Both teams also found quarterbacks outside of the first round.
This is where the Seahawks are currently lacking. They haven’t been hopeless. Acquiring Leonard Williams has been a hit. Signing Julian Love was also an intelligent piece of free agency work. More is needed though. Generally speaking they haven’t done a good enough job in free agency — either in terms of landing top players or by finding rough diamonds to bring in and develop. They haven’t been able to draft a quarterback who can be the future either — although they haven’t whiffed on anyone in the years since trading Russell Wilson, so this is understandable.
The point I’m making is I don’t think it’s impossible for the Seahawks to promote themselves to Philadelphia’s level in the future, especially if Mike Macdonald can produce an exceptional defense. If they’re going to do it though they’ll need to be better in several areas.
They have to do a better job in free agency. Whether it’s the pro-personnel department or a bigger involvement from Mike Macdonald, they need to find the big opportunities available in free agency. Whether that’s adding big names or hidden gems, the Seahawks simply haven’t used the veteran market well enough.
Who’s the next Mekhi Becton? Is it Jedrick Wills, for example, who is leaving Cleveland? Who’s the next Zack Baun? Who can come in like Charvarius Ward and tie down a cornerback slot? What is the next brilliant move, finding impact and value, that the Eagles appear so good at finding?
When there’s a rare opportunity to add a blue-chipper, make sure you’re ready to capitalise. The Eagles did with Barkley. At the end of the day, elite talent matters. It’s why the Seahawks need to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to Myles Garrett’s situation in Cleveland. You need a certain number of world class players to win a Super Bowl and the Seahawks are limited in this area.
In the draft, don’t overthink things and prioritise big men when the grading is similar. The Eagles didn’t reinvent the wheel when they identified players like Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, both blog favourites. Draft players like this, with very obvious pathways to starting in the NFL. Put down some roots on your O-line too, you can’t keep chopping and changing at positions like center and guard every year.
It’s not just the offensive line either. Milton Williams’ testing results and profile made it clear he had an excellent chance to become a very good NFL defender. I interviewed Williams in the build up to his draft. Traits matter on the defensive line and it’s why I’m intrigued to see how Darius Alexander performs at the combine after an eye-catching Senior Bowl where, at times, he looked Chris Jones-esque.
Finally, be ready to draft a quarterback even if you’re criticised for doing so. I can just see it now. Seahawks Twitter having a meltdown if they use the #50 pick on a Will Howard or Quinn Ewers. Just like there was a meltdown about the Eagles drafting Hurts when they already had Carson Wentz.
Hurts didn’t have standout traits but what he did show in college was a level of grit, production, high-character and he could throw a pretty football. He went to a team able to tailor a system to his strengths and give him a strong supporting cast.
The likes of Howard, Ewers, even Riley Leonard and Jaxson Dart are not a million miles away from where Hurts was coming into the league. He received a 6.14 grade from Lance Zierlein in his NFL.com draft profile. He was compared to Tim Tebow. Lance has adjusted how he grades since 2020 so it’s difficult to make a direct comparison but he’s given Ewers a 6.24 grade and Dart a 6.19. He’s yet to grade the likes of Howard and Leonard.
For all the talk of this being a ‘bad’ quarterback group — I do think there’s a middle class within it for the first time in a long time. There are experienced players available who have played in big college football environments, in big games, and have some of the qualities needed to stick in the NFL. They won’t thrive regardless of the situation they end up in, like Joe Burrow. Can you still find a guy in day two this year who can be brought in to develop? Yes, in my opinion you can. I think the team might feel this way too which is why they’re intending to work out an arrangement with Geno Smith to continue as a bridge. I think this will be the year the Seahawks draft a quarterback.
So there are things for the Seahawks to aim for this off-season. They need a better approach to veteran acquisition and need to hit in this area when the new league year begins. They need to be ready to act if elite players become available, while also identifying the value and quality hidden within the market. They need to do a better job not overthinking the offensive line and they should draft one of the quarterbacks in this class on day two.
The Eagles have shown that intelligent team building, quality in the trenches and connected football can still win big. The Seahawks and others can realistically try to emulate their success.
