3 moves that got the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl 57

2. The Eagles made the right veteran additions on defense

There has always been a lot of talent on Philadelphia’s defense, which has been headlined by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox up front alongside pass-rushing menace Brandon Graham. While Roseman has done a good job supplementing the unit with draft picks, he also deserves credit for striking gold with his veteran pickups.

The first big move came in 2020 when the Eagles dealt two draft picks to the Detroit Lions for Darius Slay, giving them a solid cornerback to contend with opponents’ No. 1 receivers. Philadelphia bolstered its secondary even more last spring when they took advantage of the Giants’ decision to cut James Bradberry to solve some salary cap concerns, adding him on a one-year deal to team with Slay to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

Having a dynamic cornerback tandem is already a position of strength but Roseman seized an opportunity to improve his pass rush by signing Haason Reddick to a three-year deal worth $45 million last winter. The move paid off in spades as Reddick set a career-high with 16 sacks, giving Philadelphia a dominant pass rush to go along with an elite secondary.

Most teams are usually good at one of those areas on defense but Philadelphia’s shrewd moves have put them in position to be elite at both. That combination has made the Eagles a very tough defense to move the ball against, setting the tone for a lot of their success this season.