NFL GM rankings now have Howie Roseman as the second best executive in the league

Rotoworld’s Pat Daughtery recently put out his annual rankings of all 32 NFL general mangers. It’s always a good read so make sure you check out the entire article.

Last year at this time, Howie Roseman ranked No. 3 among his peers. Now the Eagles’ executive vice president of football operations checks in at No. 2 overall.

2. Howie Roseman, Eagles

One of the league’s youngest general managers is also one of its most impressive survivors — and winners. Still only 43, Roseman was barely two years removed from outlasting Chip Kelly when he assembled the Eagles’ first championship squad. Roseman has built such a deep roster that it managed to win at least one playoff game each of the past two seasons with its backup quarterback. He has stockpiled so much talent in the trenches that elite skill players have not been necessary. 2018 was arguably as impressive as the Eagles’ Lombardi-lifting 2017 considering the team’s injury issues. A forward thinker who is both willing to trade draft picks and stockpile them via the compensatory process, Roseman has taken on a Belichick-ian air as a team builder. Market inefficiencies — expiring contracts — will be identified. Edges — like a rookie quarterback deal — will be ruthlessly exploited. No one, either as a coach or executive, is in Belichick’s tier. Roseman leads the “best of the rest.”

That’s very high praise for Roseman but I think it’s a fair assessment.

More love for Roseman from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal:

2. Howie Roseman, Eagles

The Eagles are the model for today’s flexible front office, with Roseman leaning equally on traditional scouting (vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas) and analytics (VP of football operations and strategy Alec Halaby). That approach shows up in the team’s emphasis on line play on both sides of the ball, along with an attitude in free agency that doesn’t fear uncertainty. The Eagles entered this offseason with major salary cap questions, yet found room to add DeSean Jackson, Malik Jackson, Jordan Howard and re-sign Brandon Graham and Ronald Darby without experiencing a roster bloodletting.

On paper, at least, Roseman’s had a strong offseason. He invested premium resources in the trenches (retaining Graham, signing Jackson, drafting Andre Dillard) in addition to adding weapons for Carson Wentz (Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, DeSean Jackson, etc.). As a result, the Eagles figure to have one the league’s most talented rosters. They should very much be in the mix to compete for another Super Bowl title.

One can find things to quibble about. Trading Michael Bennett hurt the team’s depth at defensive end, especially with Chris Long also retiring. Maybe there was a better way to address cornerback than re-signing an injured Ronald Darby.

Overall, though, Eagles fans should feel good about the team with Rosmean leading the way. His work isn’t necessarily even done yet; Philadelphia currently has a little over $27 million in cap space to work with.

To further appreciate Roseman, take a look at the top decision makers elsewhere in the NFC East. The Eagles easily boast the division’s most competent front office.

13. Jerry Jones/Stephen Jones, Cowboys

Has such a powerful man ever been such an easy target? Jerry Jones jokes have long written themselves. While you were laughing, you might not have noticed Jones’ teams posting a .600 winning percentage (48-32) since 2014. How did this happen? It’s a good question, especially as Jones does things like use a top-five pick on a running back and stick by a feckless Jason Garrett. Shockingly disciplined on the open market, the Cowboys’ most expensive outside free agent over the past five years was Cedric Thornton’s four-year, $17 million deal in 2016. Jones has been convinced to build from within, and he has been rewarded with his most successful five-year stretch since Jimmy Johnson was in town. Jones is still capping his ceiling by tethering himself to Garrett and his arch-conservative style. Jones has finally come around on the best team-building practices. Perhaps coach hiring is next.

26. Dave Gettleman, Giants

Dave Gettleman has taken a bad situation and made it worse. You could argue it’s not all his fault. Maybe owner John Mara really is an incorrigible meddler. Perhaps afternoon nap taker Mike Francesca really does wield undue influence over the organization. We can’t know those things for sure. We can go on only what we’ve seen, and what we’ve seen is not good. In less than 1.5 years on the job Gettleman has doubled down on a mummified Eli Manning, traded Odell Beckham for a safety and defensive tackle, and passed up potential franchise quarterbacks in the 2018 draft in favor of a running back. Saquon Barkley helped improve the Giants’ record from 3-13 to … 5-11. That earned them the No. 6 overall pick, which Gettleman belatedly used on a signal caller. It was a generational reach in Duke’s Daniel Jones, a Dalton-ian prospect who averaged 6.4 yards per attempt as a three-year starter in the ACC. Gettleman said he made this franchise-altering decision after seeing Jones play three series in the Senior Bowl, falling “full bloom in love” as he watched Jones take reps in an exhibition. Elsewhere in the draft, Gettleman once again declined to trade down and accumulate more picks, doing so for the seventh time in seven years. Gettleman doesn’t always choose bad players, but he values the wrong positions and has zero interest in maximizing his assets. He infamously did not even listen to offers for the No. 2 pick in 2018. Gettleman’s process is that of a blind squirrel hunting for nuts. There has been zero indication he is about to stumble upon an oak tree.

28. Bruce Allen, Washington

There isn’t much that needs to be said about the Redskins’ front office. It’s self evident to anyone capable of cognitive reasoning. Since owner Daniel Snyder purchased the team in 1999, he and his various executives have produced two playoff wins, one of which came Snyder’s first year on the job with a roster he did not assemble. For the past decade, his right-hand man has been Bruce Allen. It’s a partnership that’s produced a .409 winning percentage. Three times in nine seasons have Allen and Snyder’s squads finished above .500. The high-water mark for victories was 2012’s 10. This year, the duo commandeered the Redskins’ draft room and lucked into Dwayne Haskins. Haskins will serve as a corrective to 2018’s looney tunes decision to give 34-year-old Alex Smith $71 million guaranteed. Entirely bereft of vision or patience, Allen and Snyder will almost certainly squander Haskins’ ability should he prove to be a star. That may sound harsh, but it is the only honest takeaway from the past two decades of Redskins football. Change will require … change. That’s something — whether it’s his team name or front office tactics — Snyder has proven anathema to.