Eagles’ Howie Roseman addresses strategy behind NFL free agency decisions

Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles are not spending like they used to, and the shift has been deliberate. Over the past two NFL offseason cycles, the Philadelphia Eagles general manager has favored short-term contracts instead of handing out long-term commitments. The strategy played out again this offseason when the Eagles went hunting for edge rushers.

MORE: Las Vegas Raiders earn praise for pre-NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza plans Roseman had interest in bringing back Jaelan Phillips, but the Carolina Panthers came in with a four-year deal worth $120 million that Philadelphia wasn’t going to match. Instead, the Eagles signed Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to one-year contracts. Philadelphia had the salary cap room to pursue bigger names like Phillips or Trey Hendrickson if they wanted to.

Howie Roseman explains Eagles’ shift to short-term strategy What they did not have was flexibility in the middle range of the market. At the NFL owners meeting, Roseman addressed why the team has been operating this way. “Because we don’t have the most money, you know, we have a lot of players under contract who are just looking for opportunities,” Roseman said, per The Athletic’s Zach Berman.

“And we understand that the hit rate on that’s not going to be 100 percent. … I’m just talking in general. But we’re going to swing the bat with guys who have traits in their body, who show that they get (production), who can translate to the system, and that guy is at the right position, too.