Q. You guys have locked up a lot of your young offensive players, basically all of them. With that being said, going into the Draft, do you feel a need to prioritize that side of the ball?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I think we've got to be really -- oh, okay. I was intrigued by the question.
Yeah, I think what we try to do to the best of our abilities is go into the Draft trying to fill as many leads as we possibly can through free agency so that we can open to the best players in the draft.
Q. Following up on that, what does that do for you, when you know that these guys are going to be together for the next at least three years, mostly your offense? What does that do for the offensive coaches?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think that's really exciting. I think it's exciting as not only offensive coaches but just the culture of our football team; that these guys, like, are going to continue to grow as football players, grow as leaders, grow in culture as a team, and so that's really, really exciting.
You know what, it's exciting for the football team, but gosh, when you're a coach and one of your players, you know, gets the big extension like that, it's really an unbelievable feeling.
You know, I think when I first got here, I kind of went through that, some of the Indy players, when I left, were starting to get paid and you're like, oh, man, it was tough not to be around for that.
Now I'm being able to experience that here with the Eagles, it's really a special thing, because it changes these guys' lives forever and their families' lives and their kids and their grandkids. Like what an unbelievable thing, and just so happy for our guys that have done that.
And so it's like, yeah, it's really important as far as all those things I talked about, and then also, just the awesome experience to be able to have with these guys.
Q. In the last six drafts, you've only drafted three cornerbacks and none of them higher than the fourth round, and any draft that you've over seen, there's only been one that's been drafted in the second round. Why do you think cornerbacks not only -- you found alternative ways to kind of fill the position with varying degrees of success. How do you view that position and how you evaluate it, and what did you learn from past mistakes and successes?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yeah, I think that obviously corners are a huge part of playing defense in the National Football League right now. You know, we always talk about affecting the passing game. And just like in offense, we talk about the offensive line and having skill guys, we talk about the defensive line and having guys who can cover on the outside, on the inside and how much that that helps you.
You know, obviously two years ago, I think we were No. 2 in pass defense, and we had two guys, who -- we were No. 1, thank you. Slay made the Pro Bowl and James was a second-team All-Pro. I think that just goes to show how important that is to playing good defense.
So always have felt that's a priority. Obviously when you give those numbers, those are compelling. You know, we found different ways. And really, going back to me being here, and even as a personnel director, we have signed some Pro Bowl-caliber corners or traded for Pro Bowl-caliber corners and we have probably done it a different way.
But yeah, you're right, obviously those numbers are what they are.
Did I answer that? Was there any second part to that?
Q. How about just in terms of you've had, you know, some of them, I guess they are all different in terms of when they haven't panned out. Has there been a unifying theme in terms of when you've looked at that position and maybe how you can look at it differently in terms of having success drafting at?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: And some of those second-day guys maybe had more success after they left here than they did here, as well.
You know, so I think going back and looking at the things that you've missed on, is important, and yeah, we've certainly done that at the cornerback position.
Q. The turnover at the defensive coordinator spot here, how do you balance wanting to get players who might want to fit a scheme or a system versus the realization that these players might outlast some coaches?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yeah, obviously you have a lot of faith in our coaches and players and everything we are doing here is to do something, not only for the short term but the long term. With Coach Fangio taking over our defense, his influence has been on our previous defensive coordinators, as well. So it's not like we are starting from scratch.
I think it's important that we are not bringing in players just that we like but also fit kind of what we are trying to do defensively. You know, Coach Sirianni does a great job of having that interaction on a continuous basis between us and the coaches, and obviously we talk all the time, and it's just important. You know, if you bring in a really good player who does not fit what you're trying to do offensively or defensively, it just may not work.
Just because somebody is having a lot of success somewhere else in a particular scheme or system doesn't mean that the flipside would also work here.
Q. Whenever you have as many contract extensions as you do, what goes into the risk assessment of having that many? What risk are you accepting?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Well, I think, first, tremendous amount of credit goes to Jeffrey Lurie and allowing us to be aggressive and do these contracts early. And really, when you're able to do that and able to be in a position to lock down the caliber of players that we think we've locked down the last couple of weeks, it gives your team tremendous flexibility as you build your team going forward.
It's a great success story for us to be able to draft guys and sign them to extensions. I think it's a great message to our team; that if you come here and you do the right thing, you don't have to leave.
Obviously, unfortunately, we've lost two players, two of the greatest Eagles in the history of our franchise who have retired, but they played with one franchise. We are very optimistic that we'll have two of those other guys who will end up doing that.
And so I think that's legacy, to be able to have players that are able to do that, and when other players see that, I think that's a big part of building culture.
So I think that's important, and that starts with Jeffrey. Because if we didn't have somebody who was willing to do that and to allow us to sign guys early; and when you sign guys early, you know you are obviously hoping that the player is going to get a really good deal. Because obviously you want it to work for both sides and that we are able to spread out the cap hits and be able to get other players.
So by doing these deals early, we are hopeful that -- you know, we believe in the players we are doing it with, and we are hopeful that it will allow us to continue to add to our team. But it all starts with Jeffrey.
Q. When you talk about a prospect's ceiling and the player development that goes into that, are there positions where you find that that is more likely to happen and maybe positions where you want more of a finished product?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I'm probably repeating something I've said before, and I guess that happens when we've been together for a long time. This is the only profession -- and I don't know any other profession because this is the only job I've ever had. But this is the only profession where you take someone out of college, and you expect them to be great; and if they are not great, you criticize them for not being great.
And we believe strongly that we have to develop these players; that they come in here with a skill set but they are unfinished products; and we have great coaching staff, we have great player development staff and we have great support staff to help develop these guys.
And so you know, we know that all of them, like all of us, are going to have things they need to work on and one of the reasons that we do these Top-30 visits is to get a head start on that. So we are hitting the ground running if we draft any of these guys.
But I think that's the first thing. It's kind of, here are the strengths, here are the weaknesses, how we can help them with the weaknesses, whether they are on the field, whether they are off the field, how we can support these people so they can reach their potential. Because a lot of these guys are 21, 22, a little bit -- some a little bit older in this draft, probably the last draft like that. But still, all of us, 23, 24, aren't the same people we are as we get older.
So we want to make sure that these guys have the right tools in their body; they have the right intangibles; they have the right willingness to be coached to be taught to work to be great; and if they have those things and we see the talent and we see the work ethic, then we think that's probably a fit.
Q. You have a history of having succession plans in place along the offensive line. Lane is 34. How do you weigh using an early pick on a guy that you want to be able to play early versus having him sit behind a guy like Lane, especially with the positional importance?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Sure. When you look at Lane Johnson, you're talking about one of best players in the league. One of the best people, one of the best players in the league. Incredibly fortunate to have him and the level that he plays at; and really, I can't speak for Coach, but I know just from speaking to him enough, the confidence going into a game with him being able to be our right tackle and one of the captains on this team.
So you don't ever replace that. You don't replace that in three years. You don't replace that in five years. I mean, he's a generational -- generational player. And so just like we talked about with Kelce, with Fletch, like you don't ever replace those guys. Those guys are irreplaceable.
But when you talk about position importance, you know, the O-line across the board has always been a huge importance to us. It has not only been about the five guys. It's been about having depth up front.
Certainly when you look at it, we've lost a couple of guys. We've signed here a couple guys in free agency. It may not even be a couple but we have some guys, also, we signed as futures that we consider, kind of guys that we signed in the off-season, and we have some young guys that we like. But it's an important position to us.
So we are looking at it, just in terms of numbers, about not only where we are now, but also going forward. I think, also, when you look at having guys, and let's just use Fletch and Jason as an example -- I don't think I ever talk this long during questions.
NICK SIRIANNI: Nice chewing the clock.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Thank you.
I think that when you look at, you have two options, right. You can kind of tell people stories about work ethic and how guys played and how they led, or you can have them watch that.
So for us, when we drafted Cam, we are still always trying to recruit Jason to keep playing for as long as he felt comfortable playing. But at the same time, having him be able to study how Jason practices, how Jason leads, how Jason takes notes. Instead of saying, Man, Cam, you should have seen how Jason Kelce led, how he practiced, how he takes notes. Like we think that gives him the best potential to reach the ability that he can do, and the same for Jordan and Jalen.
So there's benefits to that. In the short term, you could say, well, Cam sat for a year, really, and so maybe you could have gotten some bigger bang for your buck with that second round pick in the short term. But we think over the long term, and we are trying to do things that are the best for this team over the long term; that it makes sense for these guys to be around these great players.
Q. This is our first time talking to you since the Hassan Reddick trade --
NICK SIRIANNI: That was a good answer.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Thank you.
Q. First time talking to you since the Reddick trade. What went into the decision to move on from a player that's still reasonably in their prime, and how hard will it be to make up for that production?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Great player. Hassan had a great two years in Philadelphia obviously. Camden kid. Played at Temple. Couldn't have been more excited to sign him. It's better sweet to lose a player and a person like that.
You know, as the off-season went along and we added Bryce, who we are incredibly excited about. Brought back Josh. Drafted Nolan Smith in the first round. BG came back. We have some young guys in that position who we are excited to develop. You know, and through the conversations with the Jets, we felt like it was a win/win situation.
But always hard to get rid of players and people like Hassan.
Q. You and the coaches kind of come into this process later. What have you learned, now that you've been here for a number of years, to kind of get your sort of opinion of what types of players you want?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think what you learned out of this is, like how much work goes into -- before we even step in as coaches, there's been so much work. You know, so many different grades from -- from different scouts. Like so much work on all the detail that goes into the player, you know, and Howie has got a lot of things to listen to and then have to make a decision on at the end of the day.
So I admire that, of how much work goes into it and how much information Howie has to get and then to have to make a good decision from that. It's an amazing process. It makes you think so much of how a team works in-season and everything that goes into getting ready for a game on Sunday. So it's quite remarkable there.
As far as the type of player I think you were really asking, you know, I think at the end of the day, it first comes down to, you know, everyone has to have talent to get into the door, right. I mean, you can't be the best person in the world and have no talent.
But it starts with talent, and that starts from you watching the tape. Seeing all the times and all the different things, and then it goes into the -- I think at the end of the day, we try to make it really simple as far as is the guy tough, does he love football, and does he have high football IQ.
We get all the information on the character from the scouts, but that's what we are always trying to figure out as coaches is: Are they tough, do they love football and do they have high football IQ. Because in my experience around good players, those are the guys that you can't go to the game without. The guys that have those three qualities, you can't go to the game without them. You feel like they are constantly succeeding and they have the ability, God willing, to reach their ceiling, those types of players right there.
Q. If I could ask you follow-up, it's Howie's job to think long term, and it's your job to think about the next game, so to speak. What's your tolerance for someone who might need to sit a year?
NICK SIRIANNI: I think at the end of the day, we have to do -- you know, it is. I've always got to think about how we win the next game and how we win. That's how a coach is built. I think Howie is trying to win the next game, too. But we are also think --
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Damn right. Damn right. Damn right.
NICK SIRIANNI: But you're also thinking about the long-term success of it.
Like I think the way he -- he's explained that perfectly in the sense, like, a great way to teach a player, how do we teach players the things that we want them to learn in football? We let them study the greats. Like, okay, for instance, if we want to teach a receiver a route that looks a certain way, you know, we take out a tape that, hey, here are all the best comeback routes that we've of seen versus all these different looks, bah, bah, bah.
Can you imagine, I was going to throw -- this is the first name to came to my mind, I must be old, Chris Carter. Can you imagine this comeback route Chris Carter is running right here, can you just imagine being able to sit there and talk with him? Well, Cam had that for the last two years, right.
And Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter are able to sit there with Fletch and pick his brain. Like what an unbelievable opportunity that may not show itself right at the immediate -- right in the immediate future, but it's going to show itself later down the line.
And with Cam, he had versatility where he could play multiple spots and not only contribute to a team but also learn from Jason, right. Just one year he was backing up and one year he was playing next to him.
Yeah, you're always thinking about how you win the next game. But like winning the game is not just with the players that are -- the depth in the NFL is a real thing that has to be accounted for because it's such a long season. So demanding on the guys' bodies. Everybody that makes this team is going to contribute to this team, and then just what Howie was explaining, is just the extra for it.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I just want to add to that. I thought that was a great answer. And any of your own receivers get to learn from frigging A.J. and DeVonta would be frigging special, too.
But I would say that Nick's point, what was the right point, which is this isn't like another sport where we are sending them down to the minor leagues. These guys are on the roster. We are expecting everyone to contribute on our team. I mean, you guys know this: When we won our Super Bowl, we were the one with a backup left tackle that had to go play. We won with kind of an undrafted free agent who was making big plays in the Super Bowl. We won without a bunch of our captains on defense, Jordan Hicks didn't play in that game and Chris Maragos, our best special teamer, and obviously our quarterback didn't play in that game.
Like we don't go and say, hey, we are redshirting guys, even when we dare drafted Cam. We are drafting these guys not with the intention, like these guys are never going to play, and obviously if you have a great starting lineup and they don't play, well, that must mean there are good things happening, too.
But we are not sitting there going, hey, we don't expect any contributions. We still have to build depth on this team. We are still going to need players that are not on the sideline from day one that are going to have to contribute for us to get to where we want to go.
Q. What's your favorite part of this time of year, and how much do you get into the trading part of it? You've obviously made tons of trades.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I like the trades. I like the trades.
You know, this is fun. I think that from my perspective, the ability for us to really put our imprint on the football team, to be able to bring guys in. We are not going to lose any games. So certainly that's not going to spoil the party for us.
It's a great time of year, to see our scouts, our football ops, our coaches, our whole building, really, come together. I think it really builds the culture that we are trying to do off the field for all of us to come together and have this period and process because a lot of people are part of this. And we start that after the Draft, talking about all the people, because that's all the people that come together to do this, and every department, when guys come in here, when we have the visits, to get us the information.
So I think it's just a very special time of year. It's a lot of fun. I like talking to the other teams in the league and trying to figure out if there are opportunities to work together. I like doing that. I love picking players. I love calling those guys.
And then when you have days like today, and we've had a couple times and you draft guys, and then you see them come in with their family and you see how much their life is going to change -- you know, Smitty will maybe buy dinner or something. Doesn't seem like he's got grand plans for that money.
I think just seeing that, and like Coach said, just knowing that, like, we had some small part of the legacy that he's going to put on this city and selecting him, and just thinking about the moment where we make that pick or we make that trade in Smitty's case, or Landon and him falling to the second round or Jordan and that process, just to name a few guys. It's special.
It's kind of one of the reasons -- obviously we do this to win championships. That's our first thing. But also just to have legacy and to have good people and I'm proud of that.
Q. Following up on Hassan. You referred to it as "bittersweet" and a "win/win." What do you think the upside is for trading Hassan for the conditional pick a couple of years down the line?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Well, the pick's not conditional. We are getting a pick. So I don't think I understand the question.
Q. A third round and a second round pick. What do you think the upside is for trading Hassan with a year left in a deal in his prime?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I think you are asking a question in a vacuum without all the other factors. So if we want to talk about all the factors that go into building the team and to the resources that we put into each position, we can do that.
But I don't think the question is really fair and accurately describe the transaction.
Q. When it comes to balancing guys talent versus their potential injury risk when they have had several injuries in the past, how do you guys balance that and process that?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: So balance the durability issues with --
Q. They could potentially have.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yeah. We talked about a lot of the groups that are a big part of this, and our performance staff, our training staff and our doctors are a huge part of that process. We are not experts in that field, and so we take their guidance on that. We put a grade based on what we think the player is going to be, not only this year, like we talked about here with Beau, but what the player is going to be three, four, five years down the line when we develop them at, really, the best of their abilities.
And then we come in and we meet with the doctors and we talk about their ability to play through it. You know, durability is a huge part of this game, having guys on the field is a huge part of how we have success, and so that is a huge part of it, and that's a factor at the end of the day.
So you know, a lot of times, you know, you're looking at a player, you love a player, but there's concern about, you know, being able to get into the second contract, and so you've got to weigh that and were you willing to take the guy versus maybe a guy at the same level at a different position, or maybe a click below, but the guy hasn't missed a game and you feel really confident. I think that's all the information that goes into weighing these decisions.
Q. What is Stoutland like during the pre-draft process when he gets hot on a prospect? I don't know if there's any stories that go along with that and the general benefit of having him in the building?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yeah, Stout is like -- we've been together for so long. He's like a family member. I feel like if you just came in and you didn't know and you saw some of the discussions, it would be like, Whoa, what's going on here and it's all because of passion.
You know, he's incredibly passionate about what he does, the people in his room, and obviously we have been really successful with those guy, not perfect, but successful with those; and us going through this process, we are passionate about it.
I think one of the things that's really worked well is we kind of see players the same way. And that doesn't mean there aren't differences of opinion, but we see them and we work through it together. When he's passionate about a guy, you know, a lot of times, we are passionate about a guy.
But it's funny because he doesn't want to know anything before the fact, so you kind of give him a list. And I may have told this story last year, but last year he's like, "I found a guy. I found a guy. This guy, special. Special." He's like, "I found a sleeper."
I'm like, "Yeah, Stout. He's going in the top ten."
Q. Do you agree with the premise that this draft is top-heavy?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: In terms of? In terms of like the first day? Second day? What's the premise?
Q. Yeah, the first two days. Maybe the first two rounds.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: It's funny because people have come to me internally and said there's kind of been some stuff talked about this draft, and I always say this. You tell me who is going to be at our pick, and I'll tell you if the Draft is deep or not.
Like last year, we are sitting there, and we're in the sixth and seventh round, and it's like -- we were like, couldn't wait to get on the clock because of the players that we were enthusiastic about and we drafted.
So I think the Draft stats is based on who is available to you at each of your picks. So I think it's going to be dependent on that. When we are picking on the third day, if there's guys that we have third round grades for, that's a great Draft for us. So that's how I kind of view the Draft. It's just who is available to us when we pick.
Q. You made a few references about looking long term, looking at the future. You probably have more security than almost any GM in the league; you might not agree with that, but you do. You've been here since 2010. We know how Mr. Lurie feels about you and the job you've done. What advantage does that give you to be able to think down the line, to be able to think long term, when you're not sitting here thinking, I've got to do this now to save my job?
NICK SIRIANNI: I would say this: My only goal is to win as much as I possibly can, and if I'm not good at that, I shouldn't be sitting in this seat. That's the only thing I think about. I think: How do I but this team in position.
But I also feel like it's my job. I'm a caretaker in this franchise. I'm not going to be here forever. And I think it's my job to make sure that I leave this franchise in a better place than when I got it. And to be honest, when I got it, it was in pretty good hands.
So everything that I'm trying to do is to make sure that the bottom doesn't fall out; that we are not in position where we have to sustain a rebuilding time. We are always trying to retool. And how do you do that? You get out front of problems. That's how I think about it.
I feel like the way I think about things is, like, I'm not sitting here just wanting to compete in 2024. I want to do nothing other than win a World Championship this year. That's the No. 1 priority. But I also want to put us in position to do it in 2025, 2026 and 2027. If I'm not sitting here, I haven't done a good enough job.
So the reason that I am planning on sitting here is because I'm plan on doing a good job and making sure this team has enough that our coaches are in a position to win every game.
Q. How does this year compare to past years in your confidence in being able to guess what's going to happen before your pick in the first round?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: You know, there's always going to be something different that happens in front of you or behind you that you didn't anticipate.
I feel really good about what the players are going to come off around the first 25 picks. Now that, doesn't mean there's not going to be some moment in the first round where I go, Whoa.
But I feel good about that. I think that when you're picking in the middle of the second round, there's probably a little bit more curveballs that come your way. But we will be prepared for it. We don't do many best-outcome scenarios. We work with, "This will be the worst case," and even in our worst case situation at 22 and 50 and 53, we'll be able to improve this football team.
Q. You've spoken about the pressures and pluses and minuses of hometown players, and this year there's a lot of attention on Jeremiah Trotter Jr. It's a unique situation. How nuanced is that evaluation because of all that comes with the history of Jeremiah Trotter Jr.?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I'm biased towards our hometown players. I'm biased towards the people who have legacy with this franchise.
So I think that's hard, and I think that's why, you know, when Coach talked about getting a lot of the information and trying to get myself out of that moment, and you know, just trying to make the best decision for the Philadelphia Eagles and not make it an emotional decision.
I think when you talk about any of the guys who are local, and we just talked about trading a guy who was local, it's hard not to want to keep guys who have Philly ties, who understand what it's like to play here or to bring those guys in.
I do think it's a plus. It's a plus to bring someone in this atmosphere who understands what it's like. This is the best atmosphere in the National Football League and I think that you know, they know that when you win, it's like nothing else that you experience that. But it's different for people who haven't experienced that before.
Q. You mentioned liking the trades at this time of year.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: I actually like trades all times of year.
Q. How unique is this draft in terms of others, in terms of the apparent the value of quarterback, receiver, tackle, that might push some towards maybe the middle of the first round, or you're thinking of that space and even what the trade value might be at 22.
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Well, it's gone both ways. We've been in drafts where there's been great depth at a position, and you feel like, all right, you'll just sit there and wait and all of a sudden the guys go really quickly and you sit there and go, Man, I thought this was going to be a great draft there and there's not many left.
I think you just have to be prepared. Again, I say this because it's the truth. A lot of the scenarios are led by Jeffrey in this and putting us kind of to the test over the next couple weeks. So when we are on the clock, it's just like Coach going through his game plan. We'll be ready. We'll be ready for any scenario that comes from us. We'll be ready to make decisions on the clock and we'll be ready to trade.
Q. I was just going to ask about the uncertainty still surrounding Isaiah Rodgers. Does that impact how you approach the Draft, not knowing, or do you think you might know something these next seven days or so?
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Well it goes back to we have to view the Draft as to what's best for the long-term version of the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the long-term vision of our needs and our positional priorities is met with the short term kind of impact, that's beautiful thing.
But at the end of the day we are not going to stretch and reach on anything because maybe there's a perceived need. We are still in April. We don't play our first game until September 6th. We are going to have a lot of opportunities to continue to improve this team. The talent acquisition season is not going to stop after the Draft. We are going to continue to look. We are going to continue to try to get better and do everything that we can so that we are the last team standing.
Q. I want your perspective on having two receivers now that are getting paid top-tier money and problems that could present, but also how you navigate them?
NICK SIRIANNI: I'm sorry, say that one more time.
Q. Your perspective on having two receivers who are both making top-tier money and how you navigate any problems?
NICK SIRIANNI: At the end of the day, any problem that would happen is because, you know, there would be jealousy between one -- but these two guys love each other. Like, I hate to say it, but these guys are connected. These two guys have a great relationship and that's what you're trying to create for your entire football team, and it's a great example.
Like I feel like I'm able to use them a lot as far as the example of how teammates respond to each other. Like DeVonta is genuinely happy when A.J. has a good game and A.J. is genuinely happy when DeVonta has a good game, and they help each other get better throughout the week.
I can think of just play after play where just the excitement that one guy is excited. I see A.J. -- I see them celebrating after a play with the same handshake that DeVonta used to use at Alabama with some of his closest friends. Like it's so cool. Their relationship is really, really cool.
These guys, again, it's the best way I say it: These guys love each other, and that's a special bond that I know money doesn't -- that's not changing anything, right. Because these guys have grown and worked hard together. Both continue to get better because of who they are as players, but also from the help of each other. You know, DeVonta helping A.J. and A.J. helping DeVonta get better. It's a special relationship. And yeah, I can't be more excited to have --
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Coach, do you want great players?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we'll take them. Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports