The seeds for the Eagles’ Super Bowl run were sowed years ago. Like most teams, you can look back almost a decade to its origins. But in the NFL, where yearly turnover is typically the norm, there is always the opportunity to alter your roster significantly in one year.
The virtuosity of Howie Roseman’s 2017 offseason was that he added short-term pieces without sacrificing the long term. Every one of his free-agent or traded-for acquisitions were successes. And in the Eagles’ biggest game of the season, one after the other made game-changing plays.
Nick Foles, Chris Long, Patrick Robinson, LeGarrette Blount, Alshon Jeffery, Derek Barnett, Jay Ajayi, Torrey Smith, Ronald Darby, Tim Jernigan, Jake Elliott — 12 months ago, not one of them was a glint in Eagles’ eye.