Philadelphia Eagles Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas approval polls: May 2017

Now that the 2017 NFL Draft is over and we’ve had plenty of time to digest Philadelphia’s offseason moves, it’s time to kick off our May 2017 series of Eagles approval polls. We’ll start with two of the team’s biggest decision makers: Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas.

Prior to the draft, Roseman earned an 84% approval rating while Douglas checked in at only 77% because a lot of people voted “unsure” for him. Now there’s less to be uncertain about given how we’ve seen Douglas operate in his first draft with the Eagles.

While Roseman is ultimately the one with the final say on personnel decision, Douglas’ influence has been increasingly noticeable. Aside from some maneuvering on Day 3, the Eagles mostly stayed patient and stuck with their board. Roseman has a reputation for being more active, so the Eagles’ patience could signal more of a Douglas approach based on his background. Or maybe that’s how the draft played out.

Another common theme from the Eagles’ draft was the priorization of production over raw athleticism. I’m not suggesting the Eagles don’t care about physical attributes, but it seems like a number of Philadelphia’s draft picks weren’t necessarily the best athletes available at their positions. That seems like a change from the past. Instead, the Eagles focused on getting players who were incredibly productive in college. Derek Barnett broke Reggie White’s sack record. Rasul Douglas tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions last season. Donnel Pumphrey is the NCAA’s all-time rushing leader. Nathan Gerry had 13 picks in his last three years at Nebraska.

The Eagles earned high praise for their 2017 draft class. Some NFL analysts argued it was the best in the league. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but I thought it was a good class (B+ material). I think Barnett is going to be a good starting defensive end. Sidney Jones is a risky pick, but he could end up being a total steal. Douglas could challenge for a starting job this year. Mack Hollins is a special teams ace at worst and maybe a nice deep threat role-player to have on offense. Pumphrey isn’t the next Darren Sproles himself but he could replace him. Shelton Gibson also has very good deep speed. Gerry is an interesting project who could eventually be a starting WILL linebacker. And then finally Elijah Qualls figures to be a rotational backup at defensive tackle.

The biggest criticism I have of the Eagles’ 2017 draft is that they didn’t do enough to draft the running back position. Philadelphia seemingly missed out on Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook and left the draft without a real lead rusher. The Eagles addressed that weakness, however, by signing LeGarrette Blount. The 30-year-old veteran isn’t a long-term answer for the Birds but he can be a real nice short-term stop-gap to have around.

In the big picture, I think the combination of Roseman and Douglas did a good job of upgrading the Eagles’ roster this offseason. I’d say none of the team’s positions look worse, except maybe cornerback. To be determined how that spot plays out. Running back looked worse before the Eagles signed Blount but I’d argue Blount is an upgrade on Mathews because he fumbles less and stays healthy more often. On paper, it looks like the Eagles upgraded in a number of areas, including wide receiver, defensive end, and defensive tackle.

Overall, I’d say I approve of the job Roseman and Douglas have done this offseason. More importantly than anything, they’ve surrounded Carson Wentz with some weapons to work with. Now it’s just up to Wentz to make the leap and take a step forward in Year 2. If he doesn’t, that’ll reflect poorly on Roseman, regardless of the team’s encouraging 2017 offseason.

Do you approve of the job Howie Roseman is doing as executive vice president of football operations of the Philadelphia Eagles? Vote now in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Roseman Approval Polls:

• May 2017: 84% approval (Joe Douglas 77%)
• January 2017: 40% approval
• December 2016: 49% approval
• November 2016: 79% approval
• September 2016: 97% approval
• May 2016: 74% approval
• February 2015: 28% approval
• January 2015: 39% approval
• December 2014: 86% approval
• November 2014: 89% approval
• October 2014: 87% approval
• July 2014: 89% approval
• May 2014 (post-draft): 91% approval
• May 2014 (pre-draft): 85% approval
• April 2014: 79% approval
• March 2014: 97% approval
• January 2014: 87% approval

Do you approve of the job Joe Douglas is doing as vice president of player personnel of the Philadelphia Eagles? Vote now in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments.