Welcome to the frenzy. As the NFL prepares for the start of its 2022 business year - officially starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday Eastern Time – preparations for all those months have really begun with the window of time that began at noon on Monday: teams are able to contact the agents of potential free-agent players, the contract negotiation process initiates, and agrees to, terms on a deal. So, it really starts now. Now. is on!
And that's exciting news for Eagles fans, who have been waiting to see what the team has in mind as they improve their roster for 2022 and beyond. You know the Eagles are armed with assets this offseason, especially for the late April NFL Draft—the Eagles have a total of 10 selections, including 15, 16, and 19 in Round 1.
But what are they thinking? What is the game plan?
"We want players who fit our plan and our system," Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman said in a recent interview. "May be a really good player, but if he's not fit that the coach wants to coach, he's not going to look good here. So, making sure that match, that we have between the front office like this It's the chemistry and the coaching staff, which I think we've had a lot of fun with and we have.
"And again, just not trying to force things. We can't force what isn't there and if you force what isn't there, you've wasted one of these resources. As much as we want this particular situation, if it's not there, we have to let it go. You can only rebound from decisions you don't. You can't rebound from what you're forcing. He's gone. If you pick someone up really high, even if it's kind of a force to be reckoned with and you don't feel good about it So you can't rebound from that."
An off-season, as we've learned over the years, isn't necessarily defined by a singular decision, and while we're all on the edge of our seats waiting to see how the Eagles attack free agency. The truth is, the team is always building. The roster-building process continues through the NFL Draft and then through training camp and, in fact, throughout the regular season. The goal, as Rosman noted, is a full 90-man roster—in which each player is a "53-man-roster player" and every player on the 53-man roster is a starting-caliber performer.
That is the goal, no matter how ambitious it is. This is what keeps Rosman and his employees churning through every crack and rift to add talent.
"We'll always be watching. We're always trying to find people who are really good players, and it's a year long process - sometimes a slower time than others, but it's a year long The process is there," Rosman said. "I don't know if you've ever been sitting there like, 'Hey, this situation is great. We don't have to add up there.' I think you're going to go, 'We have some strengths here, and we have some areas that we need to improve here, and let's make sure we keep our strengths a force to be reckoned with and we have pretty much anywhere. Not a big weakness.
"At the same time, it's natural to say, 'I really want that player to be good because we really need this position,' but we have to fight that urge."
The Eagles have kept their blueprint close and calm, but that's clearly going to change in just a few days - possibly the first time teams can agree on the terms of the deal as the negotiating period heats up. It's a team in a remarkable position - a roster that made the playoffs in 2021, familiarity with the coaching staff, good talent across the roster - including some prized young players from the recent draft, little mobility within the $208.2 million salary cap, and , of course, all those draft picks.
However, it doesn't get the idea that Rosman and head coach Nick Siriani or any decision-making at the NovaCare complex is moving ahead of the game: The Eagles have a lot of work to do, and they certainly know it.
"It's encouraging to see where we are, but we're not satisfied," Roseman said. "We want to get as much information as possible and that's what we've been doing and will continue to do. We want to make good decisions and we want to bring in good football players who are going to help us win. We have a responsibility to do the right thing." To get things done and to have the best team we can on the field, and that's what we intend to do."
And with that, let the action begin! The Eagles, looking to take the next step in Year 2 of Siriani's coaching tenure, began with the good news that All-Pro center Jason Kelce would return for the 2022 season. This is the first step in what the Eagles expect to be a series of positives in the days, weeks and months ahead.