April 14, 2023
There were a few Philadelphia Eagles-related news items the last couple of days that aren't worthy of their own articles, but combined together are worth rounding up. So let's get to those, shall we?
Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris has reportedly come to an agreement with Daniel Snyder to buy the Washington Commanders for a little over $6 billion. As any Sixers fan knows, Harris also owns the New Jersey Devils. That is obviously a weird trifecta of sports teams to own, as four-for-four Philly fans typically hate the two other teams Harris owns (or more accurately in the case of the Commanders, will soon own).
On the surface, the transition from Snyder to Harris is bad for the Eagles. With Snyder in place, the Washington franchise was never — and was never going to be — a team to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender. It's pretty safe to call him the worst owner in the four major American sports. Literally any new owner is going to be a major step from Snyder. That said, Harris is an owner that Commanders fans may soon find to be disappointing.
There are a number of Sixers fans who already didn't like that Harris owned a rival team in a different sport, and do not approve of him now also soon owning the Commanders. From a fan perspective, it's just kinda icky. But in terms of actual competitive advantages, I do think it's fair for fans of professional organizations to want the owner of the team they root for to have a sole focus on, you know, the team they root for. The Sixers dodged the luxury tax this year, which is hard for some fans to swallow when the owner is buying another franchise for $6 billion. It feels a lot like Harris is buying up franchises because, "WEEEEEEE, owning sports teams is fun!"
One thing that Jeffrey Lurie has repeatedly demonstrated is that he will provide the necessary financial resources to make the team as good as it can possibly be. His focus is on the Eagles. Harris' sports ownership focus will now be split among three teams.
Oh, and it's probably also worth noting that Harris has owned the Sixers since 2011, and the Devils since 2013. Both teams have had losing records during his reign, and neither has sniffed a championship.
From my boy Gregg Rosenthal:
No team does a better job using every avenue for player acquisition, balancing current needs with the future. The Jalen Hurts pick in 2020 was a great example of forward thinking that changed the course of the franchise. The top three picks in last year's draft class (Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens and Nakobe Dean) mostly had what amounted to redshirt rookie seasons, but players selected in the class before (DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson) helped the team nearly win a title in 2022.
The Eagles are great at self-scouting and spend a premium on line play (Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Josh Sweat) while finding ways to keep their productive longtime veterans like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham. Most importantly, Roseman has nailed bringing in players just about to hit their prime, such as A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick and Javon Hargrave (the latter of whom left for San Francisco this offseason). They recognize value, whether that means scooping up James Bradberry late last offseason or finding a way to keep him and Darius Slay this time around. Hurts' looming big contract will test Roseman's flexibility, but this is a front office that finds answers. [NFL.com]
Roseman had a few bad years after the Eagles' last Super Bowl run, but he has been on a heater since 2021, rejuvenating a team that looked dead in the water at 4-11-1 in 2020, to building the best roster in the NFL in 2022 (even if they fell short in the Super Bowl).
It's a one-year deal worth $1.28 million. A recap of the players the Eagles brought in from the outside on one-year contracts this offseason:
• QB Marcus Mariota: $5 million
• S Terrell Edmunds: $2 million
• S Justin Evans: $1.6 million
• RB Rashaad Penny: $1.35 million
• CB Greedy Williams: $1.35 million
• DT Kentavius Street: $1.28 million
• LB Nicholas Morrow: $1.09 million
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