A Model Franchise?

The Eagles have been to three Super Bowls in eight years, winning two of them. Most analysts think they have the best roster in the NFL this season and could add to the Super Bowl title. They did this without a Hall of Fame QB. They did this without a Hall of Fame coach. That’s a pretty amazing feat. Are the Eagles a model franchise for others to emulate?

The Chiefs have had more success, playing in 5 SBs in 6 years and winning 3 of them. But they do have Andy Reid, one of the best coaches of all time, and Patrick Mahomes, who will end up as one of the best QBs of all time. If you’re another team, how do you try to replicate that? Think back to the Patriots with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. How do you try to replicate that?

Jalen Hurts was a second round pick. He’s having a good career, but isn’t close to being an all-time great. Nick Sirianni wasn’t sought after when the Eagles hired him. He was very much an under-the-radar candidate. But you have to give the Eagles organization credit for building great teams by being smart, creative and aggressive.

One of the most impressive parts about what Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman have done is that things haven’t gone perfectly. Carson Wentz looked great for a couple of years and then had to be traded. Doug Pederson was fired after the disastrous 2020 season. The Jalen Reagor pick was a huge bust. Last year’s free agent star, Bryce Huff, was a huge bust. Things do not always go right, or anywhere close to it.

Roseman does a brilliant job of solving the problem. He’ll trade away the players he can. Sometimes they bring a good return, other times it isn’t much. Roseman will cut guys if he has to. He’s not afraid to admit something didn’t work out and then move on. Failures don’t make him any less aggressive. He understands not all moves are going to work.

The Eagles understand that there are 32 teams doing a lot of the same stuff. You have to look for any advantage you can get. This could be running the tush push, being creative with contracts or making a ton of practice squad moves to try to take advantage of that as much as possible. The Eagles move up and down in the draft. Roseman makes a ton of trades all year long. He’s always trying to maximize situations. The Eagles were one of the first teams to be really aggressive on fourth downs. That’s an organizational philosophy, not just the coaches.

Mike Sando wrote a good piece for The Athletic about the Eagles. He interviewed a multiple executives to get their take on the Birds and how they do things. There wasn’t a definitive answer.

Whether the Eagles are a model for others to follow, an anomaly or a combination remains debated within the league.

The critics think the Eagles manipulation of the salary cap will catch up to them at some point. Spending cash over cap has worked brilliantly, but it is risky. If the Eagles don’t draft well, the house of cards will start to fall apart.

I don’t think other teams should copy exactly what the Eagles do, but I do think they should study how the Eagles have done things and the adaptability of their approach. When Jim Schwartz wanted D-linemen, he got them. When Vic Fangio wanted LBs, he got them. The Eagles went cheap at RB until they spent big on Saquon Barkley. They figure out what the coaches want and build the roster accordingly. They also try to find market inefficiencies. Barkley was actually a bargain in 2024.

The Eagles success goes beyond spending. I’m sure there are some teams and owners who hate what the Eagles do. They think spending is the key to all the wins. Sando wrote another piece that focused on spending to see what that really meant.

The top four teams in cash over cap in recent years were:

1 – CLE
2 – SF
3 – PHI
4 – NO

The Browns spent a lot on the disastrous Deshaun Watson contract. They have nothing to show for it except misery and embarrassment. The Niners and Eagles have both had a lot of success in recent years. The Saints spent big in hopes of becoming a contender again, but it did not work. They have finally changed that philosophy this year.

There is no magic formula for winning. The Steelers were last in the league in cash over cap spending in this period. They kept winning. On the flip side, they have not had any postseason success in a long time.

The big takeaway is that the Eagles are smart about who they acquire and how they pay them. That formula sounds simple, but is hard to master. Roseman and the front office have done a brilliant job of it in recent years. With such a young, talented roster, the Eagles success should continue into the future.

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