PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sat down next to Nick Sirianni at last week’s end-of-season press conference with a stat in the back of his mind.
Roseman was just waiting for the right time to bring it up.
“We’ve drafted 15 guys since Nick has been here on the first and second days (of the NFL draft),” Roseman said. “And 14 of them have been long-term starters.”
Roseman’s words could be viewed as the GM patting himself and the scouting department on the back. It is quite a flex. It’s rare that teams are that good at evaluating and drafting.
But what Roseman said next was even more important for the Eagles’ 2026 offseason.
“We’ve got to keep hitting like that,” Roseman said last Thursday at the NovaCare Complex. “I know that’s hard, but we’ve got to keep doing it.”
Roseman’s right. In order for the Eagles to have one of the best rosters in the NFL again and return to the Super Bowl next season, Roseman and his staff are going to have to dominate the draft. There are too many potential holes on the roster and big-money decisions not to.
Entering the offseason, the Eagles have 20 pending free agents. Almost half of those free agents played starter-level snaps in 2025 with big names such as Dallas Goedert, Jaelan Phillips, Reed Blankenship and Nakobe Dean possibly walking out the door.
On top of choosing which of those players, if any, to bring back, Roseman has other decisions to make. Will A.J. Brown be traded? Will Jalen Carter and/or Jordan Davis receive extensions?
With so much young talent on defense — first-time All-Pro corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are eligible for extensions next offseason, too — Roseman and the Eagles’ scouting department are going to have to prioritize offensive players in the 2026 NFL draft.
Of those 14 “long-term starters” acquired in the first, second and third rounds of the draft since Sirianni’s arrival in 2021, 10 of them are on the defensive side of the ball.
Offense: WR DeVonta Smith, OL Landon Dickerson, OL Cam Jurgens, OL Tyler Steen
Defense: DT Milton Williams, DT Jordan Davis, LB Nakobe Dean, DT Jalen Carter, EDGE Nolan Smith, CB Quinyon Mitchell, CB Cooper DeJean, EDGE Jalyx Hunt, LB Jihaad Campbell, S Drew Mukuba
For those curious, the only one of the 15 picks who didn’t pan out as a regular starter was safety Sydney Brown, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft.
But that’s a pretty flawless hit rate — and it’s one that Roseman is going to have to keep up.
Future Hall of Fame right tackle Lane Johnson might retire. Dickerson and Jurgens have dealt with injuries on the interior and saw their play suffer in 2025. If Brown is traded, you’ll need a top-tier wide receiver to pair with Smith. And Goedert could land a big deal elsewhere.
So on offense alone, the Eagles could be searching for a starting tight end, a starting wide receiver, a starting right tackle and a contributor at guard and/or center in this draft. And that’s not even taking into account the need for an EDGE rusher if Phillips doesn’t return.
It’s going to be a crucial few months for Roseman and his scouting staff. The Senior Bowl starts next week followed by the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. And soon enough, the Eagles will be making their selections at the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
As it stands, the Eagles have three picks in the first three rounds: No. 23 overall in the first round, No. 54 overall in the second round and No. 68 overall in the third round.
What Roseman does with those picks — hit or miss — will go a long way in determining how realistic it will be for the Eagles to remain a Super Bowl contender.
