3 moves that got the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl 57
The Philadelphia Eagles are headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time in five years and these three moves set the stage for their run at glory.
The city of Philadelphia is rejoicing this morning as the Eagles are headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time since Nick Foles out-dueled Tom Brady to hoist the team’s first Lombardi Trophy in 2017. A lot has changed since then as the foundation of that title-winner unraveled quickly, but Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman has done a masterful job rebuilding his roster as Philadelphia is now set to square off with the Kansas City Chiefs in an epic Super Bowl showdown on Feb. 12.
Roseman has made a lot of bold choices, such as hiring Nick Sirianni to be the successor to Doug Pederson as head coach and moving on from one-time franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, and those moves have helped send Philadelphia back to the promised land. Let’s take a look at the three biggest moves that Roseman made to put the Eagles in position to win another Super Bowl.
3. The A.J. Brown trade finally gave the Eagles a No. 1 receiver
One of the key areas where the Eagles have been trying to upgrade for a long time is at wide receiver, investing numerous first-round picks and free agent dollars at the position. There were some big whiffs in there, notably when Philadelphia picked Jalen Reagor one pick ahead of Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft, but Roseman righted that wrong this past offseason when he swung a big trade with the Tennessee Titans to acquire A.J. Brown.
The move was a master stroke as Brown was a proven commodity with Tennessee looking for a new contract the Titans didn’t want to pay him. Flipping first and third-round picks for Brown, who then inked a four-year deal worth $100 million, gave the Eagles the No. 1 receiver they had desperately been searching for over the past five years.
Brown was a perfect fit in the Eagles’ offense, setting career highs with 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns as Hurts’ top target. The move also helped deepen Philadelphia’s receiving corps as Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert slid down the target list by a slot, giving the unit a more well-rounded feel that made it nearly impossible for opponents to defend.