BOCA RATON, Fla. — Last year at the NFL’s annual owners meetings, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie explained the decision to banish Howie Roseman from personnel control in favor of Chip Kelly.
What a difference a year makes.
Howie Roseman is back in charge. And he’s not going anywhere.
“What Howie’s been able to do is pretty outstanding in a league that values salary cap space and draft choices,” Lurie said on Tuesday afternoon at this year’s owners meetings.
“To be able to make those trades, align our resources the way we preferred and to move forward from there, he’s had a great plan. He’s kept his nose to the grindstone and did the right things strategically, communicates outstandingly with scouts, coaches. At the moment, couldn’t be more pleased.”
The Eagles still plan to hire a head of player personnel in May after the draft. They began that search in January but suspended it shortly after. On Tuesday, Lurie said the plan all along was for the team to hire someone in May unless they were completely blown away by one of the initial candidates.
While Lurie again neglected to clearly define the role of the personnel person who will be hired for fear of “telegraphing,” even neglecting to answer a direct question asking if Roseman will be in control over the new personnel head, he made it pretty clear that Roseman is in charge going forward.
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“It’s very, very simple and easy to define,” Lurie said. “Howie is responsible for making the best player personnel department in the league.”
After being reinserted into a role of personnel power this offseason, Roseman didn’t waste much time making some big moves, first re-signing several of the Eagles' own players to long-term deals, then making three trades and signing several key free agents. Lurie said the plan this offseason was always for Roseman to be in charge.
It’s only late March, but the moves Roseman has made seem to be pretty solid, at least solid enough for Lurie to call Roseman’s work “outstanding.”
But either way, Roseman will be held responsible for the moves made this offseason.
“Yes,” Lurie said. “Without question, and for how well the player personnel department does in the future. Because that’s an important hire going forward. It’s not just one person, it’s a department. He’ll be responsible for the quality of the department.”
Roseman has been making all the moves for the team this offseason, much like a GM. Really, he is acting as the team’s general manager, but is doing so from his title of vice president of football operations.
“In today’s NFL, I don’t know what the words general and manager mean,” Lurie said. “So we’re trying to be more specific, because when you’re managing football operations, it’s no longer about watching tape and figuring out who to draft and that sort of stuff. It’s extraordinarily collaborative.”
At the time when Roseman was stripped of his personnel power in favor of Kelly, the reasoning from Lurie was that the move was made to maximize Kelly’s potential. While Roseman was away from power, banished to the other side of the NovaCare Complex, Lurie charged him with learning from the top executives from the global sports world. Roseman previously spoke about how that process helped his growth.
Lurie on Tuesday admitted there was always “potential” for Roseman to regain his personnel power.
Now he has.
And it appears here to stay.