Uram: Howie Roseman Is Far from ‘Executive of the Year’

Dave Uram is an update anchor and fill in host on SportsRadio 94 WIP. You can follow him on Twitter (@MrUram).

It’s hard to find a Philadelphia sports figure with a yo-yo history like Howie Roseman.

The man worked his way up the Eagles organization, only to be “exiled” by the first head coach he hired, then resurrected as “de facto general manager” after spanning the globe for a year to improve his skills as a football operations guy.

His resurrection was originally viewed with mass skepticism, but quickly turned around by the undoing of moves made by Chip Kelly, as well as the trading up in the draft to select Carson Wentz.

In March, some declared Roseman the early leader for “Executive of the Year.” I found those statements premature, electing to play the waiting game.

My hesitation was spot on. Roseman isn’t worthy of “Executive of the Year.” In fact, I’d give him a C grading, which might actually be kind of me.

Lack of Offensive Weapons, No Pun Intended Josh Huff  

NFL defenses are neutralizing the Eagles offense, making their wide receivers and tight ends ineffective while Wentz does everything he can to make something out of nothing.

No one is getting open and it’s starting to catch up to the rookie quarterback who looked outstanding the first three games of the season. This offense lacks player makers.

Tight end Zach Ertz was awarded a six year contract featuring $20 million guaranteed. Ertz has no touchdowns in five games, averaging the lowest amount of yards per catch in his career.

Roseman brought in Rueben Randle and Chris Givens to improve the wide receiver group, and neither made the team.

If Wentz’s targets could run solid routes and catch the ball, they’d sport a better record than 4-3. Roseman failed to put weapons around his quarterback, regardless of whether it was Wentz or even Sam Bradford. He also should’ve made a move at the trade deadline to put this team in better contention this season.

 

The Mystery of Vinny Curry

Remember when The Daily News’ Marcus Hayes caught Roseman jumping into the arms of Vinny Curry?

The former second round pick was supposed to finally be in a defensive scheme that suited him with an opportunity to thrive. Roseman gave Curry five years and $23 million guaranteed.

How many sacks does Curry have through seven games? One.

How many combined tackles does Curry have through seven games? Eight.

In fairness, a lot of that is attributed to the stellar play of Brandon Graham, but better production was expected of Curry and his numbers are pedestrian.

Roseman handed out well over $200 million in guaranteed money. Wouldn’t that warrant a team that’s better than 4-3?

 

Genius Trades? The Numbers Say Otherwise

The heart of the “Howie Roseman for Executive of the Year” praise stems from Roseman’s dealings with Miami, Cleveland and Tennessee.

The Executive Vice President of Football Operations shipped Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell and the No. 13 overall pick the Dolphins for the No. 8 selection. Then, he dealt a disgruntled DeMarco Murray to the Titans, which included swapping fourth round picks.

He than packaged No. 8 and a variety of other picks, including the fourth rounder from Tennessee, to move up to No. 2 and draft Wentz.

Don’t be mistaken, Wentz is outstanding and a future pro bowler. But, what if Roseman never pulled off these deals?

Alonso is 15th in the NFL in tackles heading into Week 9 with 62. Rodney McLeod leads the Eagles with 49, which is tied for 36th.

DeMarco Murray is second in the league in rushing yards behind Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott.

If Roseman never traded up for the Wentz, he would’ve dropped to at least fourth. Would Dallas have selected Wentz over Elliott? Maybe.

Is this revisionist history? Yes. But would it be worth it to try and direct Elliott in a different path, maybe even out of the NFC East? Absolutely.

Dak Prescott obviously would’ve been available into the fourth round. Last time I checked, he’s not that bad of a quarterback.

Will Prescott be better than Wentz? No. However, Roseman might’ve thrown too many chips to land a franchise player, while also allowing a stud running back to give them fits for years to come.

 

He Huffed, He Puffed and Didn’t Make The Situation Any Better

Last but certainly not least, there’s the Huff mess that dominated the headlines this week. The wide receiver’s weapons charge and DUI was a suspendible offense the first day it broke. Except, Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie remained silent for 48 hours while Doug Pederson stood at the podium to try and do damage control.

This was unfair to Pederson who should be focusing mostly on game planning for the Giants and not addressing a serious off the field issue that warrants the discussion of discipline.

A little after 24 hours following Pederson saying Huff would play this weekend in the Meadowlands, Roseman and company jumped in and released Huff.

Roseman and the Birds hierarchy were right for sending a message to their players, but a punishment should’ve been handed out immediately. A non-paid suspension would’ve sufficed. There’s no way Huff should’ve been allowed to play this weekend. But, as a result of the the time they took and the decision made, this story dragged on an extra day and might’ve fractured the Eagles locker room a bit.

In addition, Roseman’s sad excuse of a press conference Thursday afternoon provided no answers.

One could argue he didn’t want to damage Huff’s reputation further, but now there’s only bigger questions as to what happened. He didn’t do Huff any favors and the same goes for Pederson.

Roseman is anything but “Executive of the Year.”