Howie Roseman's 5 worst trades as Eagles GM

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Howie Roseman's 5 worst trades as Eagles GM

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By Dave Zangaro June 06, 2020 8:00 AM

 

 

 

Last week, we took a look at Howie Roseman’s five best trades, so today we’re looking at the other side. 

 

To be fair, when I came up with these lists, the good one was much longer than the bad. In general, Roseman is pretty good when it comes to trades. But they can’t all be hits. 

As a reminder, we’re looking at the following years: 2010-14, 2016-now. Chip Kelly was in control during 2015. 

Here’s my ranking of Roseman’s five worst trades: 

5. Trading for Golden Tate 
During the 2018 season, the Eagles needed a boost so Roseman pulled off a trade to get Tate from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick. While the Eagles eventually got back a fourth-round compensatory pick to soften the blow, the acquisition of Tate never really worked out. 

Sure, you can point at the touchdown catch in the Double Doink playoff game in Chicago as a reason why this trade was actually a success … but let’s be real. This trade didn’t work out the way the Eagles were hoping. In the final eight games of the 2018 regular season, Tate caught 30 passes for 278 yards and 1 touchdown. He signed with the rival Giants in 2019. 

The lasting memory of this trade will probably be the unfortunate words from then-offensive coordinator Mike Groh, who admitted it had been "challenging to integrate” Tate into the offense during the season. 

4. Dion Lewis for Emmanuel Acho 
In April of 2013, the Eagles dealt Lewis to Cleveland for Acho. While Lewis never played for the Browns because of injury, he eventually resurfaced with the Patriots in 2015 and showed off some of the talent the Eagles initially saw in him during the 2011 draft. 

He has never become a star, but from 2015-2019, Lewis has played in 62 games for the Patriots and Titans and has averaged 4.3 yards per carry. He has 2,139 rushing yards, 1,260 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns during those seasons. 

Acho played two seasons for the Eagles and a total of 20 games with two starts. He became a special teams contributor for those Chip Kelly teams but played a total of 288 defensive snaps. 

3. Joe Mays for J.J. Arrington  
The Eagles drafted Mays in the sixth round of the 2008 draft but the linebacker played in just 13 games in 2008 and 2009 before the Eagles shipped him to Denver in July of 2010 for Arrington or a conditional draft pick. 

Arrington missed the entire 2009 season after microfracture knee surgery. He didn’t make the Eagles that year (he never played in the NFL again), so the Birds got back a 2012 sixth-round pick they ended up using on Marvin McNutt. 

While Arrington never played an NFL game again, Mays from that point on in his career played 65 games with 37 starts for the Broncos, Texans, Chiefs and Chargers. 

2. Stealing DGB from the Titans 
At the time, it seemed liked the Eagles fleeced the Titans by getting Dorial Green-Beckham for reserve offensive lineman Dennis Kelly. Turns out, it was the other way around. Sometimes if it seems too good to be true … 

The Eagles pulled off this trade in August of 2016 and upon first glance it was a major steal. Just a year earlier, the Titans took DGB in the second round and he had a really good rookie year statistically. In 2015, he caught 32 passes for 549 yards (17.2) and 4 touchdowns. 

At 6-5, 225 pounds, he was the ultimate size/speed guy with the potential to be a great player. But it became clear pretty soon after that trade that DGB wasn’t destined for greatness. He was a friendly guy but immature and didn’t seem to want it. He played that 2016 season with the Eagles, catching 36 passes for 392 yards and 2 touchdowns on talent alone, but the Eagles cut him the following June. 

Since then, Green-Beckham has been out of the league and has been dealing with some legal issues. He’s become a cautionary tale of wasted talent. 

Meanwhile, Kelly has played in 58 games (16 starts) for the Titans and got a three-year extension before last season. 

1. Dealing Chris Clemons for Darryl Tapp 
One of Roseman’s first trades ended up being his worst. In March of 2010, the Eagles traded Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick to get Darryl Tapp from the Seahawks. Tapp was about three years younger than Clemons, who was longer and lankier. Before the trade, here were their career stats: 

Tapp: 4 seasons, 32 starts, 18 sacks 
Clemons: 5 seasons, 3 starts, 20 sacks 

So you can see why the Eagles made this trade. They thought they were getting a potential starting defensive end who was already better and had more upside in their defense. But they ended up losing pretty big. 

Here’s what they did with their new teams: 

Tapp: 3 seasons in Philly, 3 starts, 6 sacks 
Clemons: 4 seasons in Seattle, 59 starts, 38 sacks 

In his first three years in Seattle, Clemons ended up having 11, 11 and 11.5 sacks and started every game for the Seahawks; during that span, he was sixth in the NFL in sacks. Tapp was a role player in Philly. 

Honorable mentions: Trading away Sheldon Brown and Chris Gocong, trading away Asante Samuel for a seventh-rounder, trading away Eric Rowe for a fourth-rounder.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/howie-roseman-worst-trades-eagles-general-manager

Not sure the DGB trade is #2. It didn't work out but it wasn't a horrible trade really. We gave up nothing, we got nothing. But in DGB there was a player with the talent.

[DeathByEagle]

Tate was not a bad trade. It was bad that he kept Nelson over resigning Tate.

People really expected him to come in mid season, no time with the book, no reps and be a key difference on the team. Not to mention the OC not even playing him for weeks. You give Tate a offseason learning the book, getting reps with the QB and he is a key player on this offense, if not the best WR on the team last year.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

42 minutes ago, DeathByEagle said:

Tate was not a bad trade. It was bad that he kept Nelson over resigning Tate.

People really expected him to come in mid season, no time with the book, no reps and be a key difference on the team. Not to mention the OC not even playing him for weeks. You give Tate a offseason learning the book, getting reps with the QB and he is a key player on this offense, if not the best WR on the team last year.

Tate ended up being a bad trade but I don't think that's on Howie you're right. It didn't work out, the coaches couldn't find a way to get the most out of him and it ended up being a bad trade. 

[EagleJoe8]

I said at the time, and I maintain the same position now. Trading a 3rd for Tate would have been worth the gamble provided they either repeated as Super Bowl champions, or they got him signed to an extension. I recall at the time, Howie seemed doubtful they would get an extension, so it was clear he was going to be a half season rental. A 4th or lower, fine, take a chance. A 3rd or higher should be used for players who have a better chance of contributing long term. 

[Portyansky]

Really thought that we would be able to make DGB into something close to T.O. type talent. The kid simply didn't want it.

[Mike030270]

Tate would have been a good trade if we had a WR coach

And OC

[EricAllenPick6]

Tate - Agreed, this wasn't a bad trade.  Basically swapped a 3rd for a 4th & Tate.  He didn't do much, but hard to pick up the offense mid-season.  

Dion Lewis was a stud in New England but hasn't done much anywhere else.  I think this is just about BB being able to use people strengths, not so much about us 'missing' on a player.

Trading away (starter on a super bowl champ) Eric Rowe for a 4th round pick should ABSOLUTELY be on this list.  I'd have it at #2, to be honest.  We had garbage playing at CB that year.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

2 hours ago, EricAllenPick6 said:

Tate - Agreed, this wasn't a bad trade.  Basically swapped a 3rd for a 4th & Tate.  He didn't do much, but hard to pick up the offense mid-season.  

We should also remember we were desperate for a WR at the time. Still are to be fair. 

[Rob331]

To me the only really consequential mistake was Clemons for Tapp. Terible results for Tapp and Great results for Clemons. 

The rest - are you kidding me?

Tate wasn't really a bad trade which has been discussed above. 

Lewis and Acho is really inconsequential. Lewis is just a guy and like everyone who plays for the Pats played at his best there. 

Mays and Arrington. Huh? Who cares? Did anyone else even thing of those names?

DGB and Kelly. OK Tennessee got the best of it, but what exactly would Kelly have done here? Not a big deal. 

If these are Howie's worst - he's done pretty darn well. 

 

[thedanone82]

Lewis I'm pretty sure got into trouble with the law which led to his trade. I'm betting if he didn't he would have stayed

[Rob331]

17 hours ago, thedanone82 said:

Lewis I'm pretty sure got into trouble with the law which led to his trade. I'm betting if he didn't he would have stayed

I don't think so - they brought him back as a coach a few years later. 

[DeathByEagle]

1 hour ago, Rob331 said:

I don't think so - they brought him back as a coach a few years later. 

Your thinking of Greg Lewis not Dion Lewis who still plays in the NFL lol. 

[nipples]

Tate was not a bad trade. The bad move was letting him walk and keeping Ughalor instead. 
 

For DGB for Kelly... no, not a bad trade. DGB didn’t work out, but Kelly wasn’t making the team that year anyway. The options were cut him or trade him. What they got in return is irrelevant. 

[Rob331]

On 6/9/2020 at 3:36 PM, DeathByEagle said:

our thinking of Greg Lewis not Dion Lewis who still plays in the NFL lol. 

Thanks - I need a good editor.