Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Changes

Posted July 19th, 2026 | No Comments »

Modern sports are all about change, both on and off the field. Coaches and GMs come and go. Players come and go. Heck, this is even true at the college level these days. Changes, changes, changes.

Teams that handle change well can have continued success. I talked about Howie Roseman’s ability to replace O-linemen in my last post. Reuben Frank went a step further, talking about Roseman’s ability to replace star players at various positions.

But the over-riding trend is that Roseman knows exactly when it’s time to move on from veterans. And he’s been remarkably successful replacing the stars who do leave.

That’s the only way a team can have this kind of sustained success and keep winning year after year. The Eagles and Bills are the only teams to reach the postseason in each of the last five years, and the only way that happens in a salary-cap era is if the G.M. has the ability to replenish the roster with elite talent year after year.

Roob goes through the numbers and talks about guys who leave not having as much success post-Eagles. I didn’t realize how few players had success after leaving.

Handling change goes beyond the GM. It takes a whole organizational commitment. You need the college scouting staff to find young talent to replenish the roster. You need good pro scouts to make sure free agency is another good source of outside talent. Ownership has to be willing to spend money, on both staff and players. You also need the coaching staff to embrace young and/or new players.

The Eagles check all of these boxes.

Some people are concerned this offseason because the Eagles lost AJ Brown, Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship and Jahan Dotson. Roseman anticipated the players moving on and had contingency plans for them. That doesn’t mean all the moves will work as planned. Roseman has been around long enough to know there will be misses. Andre Dillard didn’t work out as Jason Peters replacement. Bryce Huff didn’t pan out as a difference-making pass rusher.

You can’t be afraid to miss.

You just keep looking for answers.

Jordan Mailata turned out to be the star LT of the future. He was All-Pro in 2024 and is regarded as one of the best OTs in the league.

Jalyx Hunt looks like the pass rusher they hoped Huff would be.

Hunt is an ascending player who could become a star if he continues to grow his game from where it is now.

Roseman didn’t want to lose some of these guys, but you can’t afford to keep everyone. Roseman knew the financial realities involved and prepared accordingly. We’ll have to wait and see how these changes pan out. Based on Roseman’s track record, the Eagles should be in good shape.

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Did you watch the 3rd place WC game between France and England? It turned out to be far more compelling than I anticipated. Jimmy Bama as well.

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This is good news.

Lemon has a chance to be an impact rookie so him having a healthy summer and getting a lot of practice reps is critical.

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