The Howie Effect

[time2rock]

The Howie Effect

Posted: March 1st, 2025 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

The Eagles had the best roster in football in 2024. They will probably have the best roster in 2025. That puts a lot of pressure on other teams who want to compete with them.

Let’s start with the fact that the Eagles didn’t just win the Super Bowl. They went 18-3 for the season. If Saquon and DeVonta catch late game passes vs ATL and WAS, the Eagles might have gone 20-1. Beyond that, they won the NFC title game by 32 points and the Super Bowl by 18 (should have been more than that). That was a special team.

This isn’t lost on the rest of the league. We can already see teams trying to figure out how to close the gap.

The Rams considered trading Matt Stafford, their 37-year old QB. Instead they gave him a raise, knowing they needed a good QB to compete with the Eagles. Sam Darnold wasn’t going to be the answer.

Washington traded for CB Marshan Lattimore at the deadline and just acquired WR Deebo Samuel. This would be a great deal in 2022, but is less compelling heading into 2025. Lattimore has struggled with injuries. Samuel remains productive, but isn’t the same kind of playmaker he was in the past. He’s coming off the worst season of his career. Rather than add young playmakers around Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have a bunch of older guys.

Deebo Samuel – 29
Terry McLaurin – 29
Zach Ertz – 34 (if re-signed)
Noah Brown – 28
Austin Ekeler – 29

The Giants are so desperate to be relevant that they are considering Aaron Rodgers. This makes zero sense. They need a young QB to build around. They need good culture. Rodgers might help them win a game or two extra. If he had an amazing year…maybe he gets them to a wild card game. Does that really help you?

Green Bay is trying to trade for DK Metcalf. They think they need a true #1 WR. Metcalf would give them a big, physical presence. I’m sure they see the way Jalen Hurts trusts AJ Brown and would love to duplicate that.

Dallas feels like they have given up. Last year they talked of being "all in”, which they clearly weren’t. This year they are saying they will be selectively aggressive. The Cowboys have some talent, but also a lot of holes to fill. Jerry Jones seems comfortable with being good, but not really trying to compete with the best teams.

The Niners fell to 6-11 last year, partially due to a lot of injuries. That team got old and it feels like they are trying to change that. They dealt Deebo. They are going to cut Javon Hargrave. They will consider trading Brandon Aiyuk. I have to think seeing the Eagles stomp the Chiefs with a bunch of young talent got their attention.

I’m curious to see what Detroit does. Their GM is disciplined. He likes to build through the draft and think long term. But you have to wonder if he’ll feel pressure to make a big move since the Lions didn’t win a playoff game and saw how good the Eagles were.

Most interesting of all will be the Chiefs. They got destroyed by Philly, but still have Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Xavier Worthy, Trent McDuffie, Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey. They also have some holes to fill. Brett Veach is a terrific GM, but he’s going to have to be creative to add key talent to that roster.

Howie Roseman built a juggernaut team that is now the measuring stick for the rest of the league. This should make for a fascinating offseason as teams try to close the gap.

*****

There has been a lot of talk since the Super Bowl about how the Eagles build on the line of scrimmage. That has been true since Andy Reid came to town back in 1999. Howie kept that going when he took over.

Building on the LOS is harder than it sounds. It takes time and discipline. You need years to build a good OL and DL. There will be misses (Andre Dillard, maybe Bryce Huff). You have to stick with it. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah explained it like this. "You have to go to the hardware store before you can go to the toy store.” Simple and brilliant.

I’m curious to see if teams overpay for Milton Williams and Josh Sweat. Both are good players, but could get a Super Bowl bump. We’ve seen this effect for 30 years. Free agents from SB teams will get overpaid by teams that overrate them. Josh Sweat played his best game against Kansas City. He did lead the Eagles in sacks this year, but I don’t think anyone would tell you he’s a great player. Williams had the best season of his young career. Let’s do point out that he’s always played beside Fletcher Cox or Jalen Carter. How will Williams do if a team pays him big and expects him to be the stud? He might thrive, but could also struggle with that. I hope both guys get big deals to help the Eagles chances with comp picks.

http://igglesblitz.com/2025/03/the-howie-effect/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Not sure I’m ready to say we will have the best roster in 2025 but we should be right up there again. Still lots of time and movement to be made before we know.