Howie Roseman - General Manager, eagles Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-08-31 | Full transcript (primary source).
Howie Roseman, General Manager of the Eagles, addressed the media during a press conference on August 31, 2026. The event took place in the lead-up to the NFL season, providing an opportunity for Roseman to discuss team preparations and roster decisions.
Transcript
Roseman: Nick said he'd come with me if I came with him to one of his press conferences during the season and so that's why I'm here by myself.
Roseman: Every guy that is on our football team we select no one's allocated to us. So it's hard. It's hard to have those conversations 37 conversations and so I feel like a lot of times when we're doing this and we're doing it after and we have practice squad moves that are coming that it's hard to give you guys a full information.
Roseman: So Bob had brought up last year after we did this to do this today, and I know it's thanks for you guys to come in today when we don't practice. I appreciate that, but I think it could be more worthwhile.
Roseman: Press conference probably still won't say anything, but anyway may be worthwhile, so we'll go with that.
Reporter: Is there a number two yet?
Roseman: Anything that goes into preparations for Washington you know we're gonna keep close to the vest. Certainly that's part of it the strategy for when we play Washington for quarterbacks the most important position in sports.
Roseman: Feel like all those guys have value for our team some of them obviously some is short-term value some as a long-term value when you think about coal.
Roseman: And so just as we went through the process here just thought it was the right thing to do for our football team. It's just such a valuable position you know and just from our perspective.
Roseman: You know last year obviously we took some of the fifth round let him go he left our practice why to go somewhere else traded for a six-round pick you know these guys are valuable.
Roseman: They take time to develop at the same time that position is so valuable to this organization over a long period of time, and so want to be strong there.
Roseman: And you know think both those guys behind Jalen have value have shown that over the course of their careers and we kind of take all the information at our disposal to make all these decisions.
Roseman: Yeah, I think from our perspective a lot of conversations with every team almost every team there's a couple maybe not so much, but I think that when we were talking to these other teams the players they were interested in felt like we were gonna hold on to the players maybe we were interested and maybe they felt the same way.
Roseman: With the way that practices when in the games when there wasn't an opportunity to do some of the player for player trades.
Roseman: We like to get kind of looks at guys just because of where our numbers were you know I think you guys know me well enough to know that like the action and was trying, but it just didn't make sense for us at the time.
Reporter: What did Jay Jenkins show you this summer?
Roseman: EJ is a great story really when you talk about a receiver Georgia Tech who transformed his body? He's 260 pounds. He's six six. He's got 34 inch arms, and you see in this league where the position is going where it's trending a lot of similar offensive systems.
Roseman: Some of the things that we're running where these wide tight ends you know they're highly valued in free agency. They're highly valued in the draft.
Roseman: And so for us to be able to develop EJ and and his skill set which as a former receiver has really not only turned to obviously is a big target in the passing game but a point of attack player.
Roseman: His past protection when we went over his past protection I mean it is really really good to have a tight end who's able to pass protect like he is and then in the run game be able to help.
Roseman: It's just being highly valued and contribute on special teams, so you know just AJ's body of work over time.
Roseman: You know sometimes you forget he played for us in the Super Bowl in 2024 but great developmental story for our organization for the people who develop players and really just excited about the role that he can have on this football team.
Roseman: Well again you know this is the only business that you look at how guys are doing right away and sometimes there are early judgments made any other business there's a long-term view and we see it on our roster.
Roseman: You know guys how they developed over two three four years and I understand their big resources into those guys first and second round picks.
Roseman: Tremendous confidence in who those guys are as players what their skill set is you know obviously they had some setbacks here physically and we looked at that as a staff in a group.
Roseman: And maybe can figure out some changes here to get those guys going a little bit sooner as from skill position perspective but don't have any doubt about what they're going to be in the NFL over time.
Roseman: And still believe that they're going to contribute to our 20 2016 exposing or and to a lesser extent just the waivers you got a boat back obviously.
Roseman: But what was the difference a couple years ago? And you were willing to carry Jordan before he was ready first?
Roseman: Well I don't know that there's a comfort level and in exposing anyone. We're not sitting there and and cutting anyone and going woohoo.
Roseman: You know this guy definitely getting back. You don't know what other teams are thinking.
Roseman: We put a lot of time and effort during this week not only to looking what's going to be out there but by taking snapshots of what other teams are seeing in our guys and saying they don't have the practices.
Roseman: They don't have the individual periods. They don't have these guys in the meeting rooms just like we don't when we're looking at other guys.
Roseman: So going back and watching the tape and just evaluating the tape and what other teams are seeing and that's not an exact science.
Roseman: Certainly didn't want to get four guys claimed that doesn't feel great, but you know from our perspective development is real.
Roseman: These guys have tremendous ability to be developed. They want to be developed. They have tools in their body. They have great character, but it's new to them.
Roseman: And I think they're that Jordan with all due respect to Joshua and who are I don't know whoever is the youngest person in this room probably could be doing this for 30 40 years.
Roseman: Nobody's gonna see Jordan a lot ever again. I mean the the person the player that that guy is that story it's an unbelievable story.
Roseman: And he had just a unique combination of size strength athleticism and pro experience as an athlete and I think sometimes we forget like or never played organized sports before you know it's a it's a different.
Roseman: It's a different bar, and I think if we're if we're just judging everyone through the lens of Jordan Melada it's gonna be hard to give these guys a fair chance.
Roseman: Still very excited about them really glad that they did get through certainly wasn't certain about that. I'm certainly I'm sorry, but I'm glad they're back here.
Unknown: Have a good feel of your rosters and how they should look and we'll be playing.
Reporter: Are you designated for a term with that elbow injury right there?
Roseman: What's the e back oh yeah, be careful.
Roseman: We've been around long enough to have have a good pulse of how you want your roster to work and have those gut feelings at this point in this season.
Roseman: Just from a broader point of view how do you feel about this new cutting into it?
Roseman: Yeah, I think this is a humbling game and every time you feel good about something something comes up that makes you feel not so good.
Roseman: So I would say you know from our perspective what I feel good about is that we have conviction about certain areas of our football team that we want to keep strong.
Roseman: It shows up in our roster that will show up over time during the season.
Roseman: What that means we're gonna have a lot of things happen during the course of the season adversity will strike us.
Roseman: Unfortunately injuries are part of the game who that is when that happens all those stories are not yet written and so I just sit here and it's gonna take it one day at a time continue to evaluate opportunities to continue to get better.
Roseman: And just make sure that we're putting our players in the best position to have success and our coaches do a great job in that.
Roseman: Well, it's all new to him. I mean every single thing you think about it even the first preseason game for him to go play that game for the first time in front of that stadium.
Roseman: Tremendous work ethic tremendous character obviously, he's got some God-given ability there in terms of strength and power.
Roseman: But you know when you think about this game and and blocking schemes and getting off the ball and all the things that guys have taken for granted.
Roseman: You know, those are things that that come with time and reps.
Roseman: He's got a great coach and coach hurt there working with him.
Roseman: And again, I think the expectations have to be a little bit reasonable, you know, we saw yesterday or two days ago that there was a trade of an IPP guy who came into the league in 2023.
Roseman: You know and and for the first time he's making an active roster in 2026 and I'm not saying that's a timeline for anything, but it's just a reminder that things take time.
Roseman: We live in a world where there's not a lot of patience and what we are committed to is patience and development.
Reporter: Guys claimed as as you referenced what was your interpretation of that and as you put the bottom of the roster together?
Roseman: You see you have more vested veterans this year and you kind of use those spots for developmental purposes in the past I am I right in that end. Is there a change?
Roseman: No, I think that you got a look at the roster of 70 guys and you know, I think when our practice squad comes out you'll see that maybe it's a little bit younger than it then it has been in the past.
Roseman: And so for our from our perspective when we're looking at the bottom of the roster, we're kind of looking we're trying to do our best to see who we can keep some of those guys.
Roseman: You know think it in a vacuum. It's easy to say. Hey put this guy in the practice squad and you'll get him back and he's a vested vet but understanding that those guys have other options to go other places.
Roseman: And when you say that to a veteran and they say hey, I'm gonna score my options and you got 31 other teams and they say we'll give you a 53 man spot now you lose that guy.
Roseman: And so you're trying to combine that with the knowledge of how guys are doing and try to make an educated bet on losing guys.
Roseman: You know from our perspective over the weekend probably anticipated we would lose a couple of guys to be fair.
Roseman: We always anticipate that the rate of claims in the league is about 4%. Certainly those percentages didn't apply to our roster over this weekend, unfortunately.
Roseman: But that's the risk of doing business and don't feel good about that. Don't feel good about losing those guys.
Roseman: Lost two draft picks. We lost a special team or tight end to attend special team tackles for us last year and a block kick. Don't feel good about that.
Roseman: You know, we lost a young defensive back that we liked and so that goes along with this.
Roseman: And so you can't sit here and feel tremendously good when you're losing players.
Roseman: We'll do our best to try to replenish that I told coach clay. I owed him one so I'll do my best to help him make up for it.
Roseman: Yeah, certainly like to say wish those guys well, but but don't feel great about it.
Reporter: Conversations like with a guy like Damien Pierce to try to get him to come back on a practice club?
Roseman: Yeah, sometimes you just run out of time, you know. You run out of time in terms of guys get nicked during camp.
Roseman: They miss some time you see in flashes and you realize that and you have the conversation that you know, maybe if you're there for three games that the conversation will be different.
Roseman: And I think when you're talking about some of those guys that those conversations like Pierce, you know, you can just run out of time.
Roseman: And but you want them you want them part of the team you know that if called upon they they can do their role at a high level.
Roseman: And so we had a few of those guys where they understood, you know availability is a huge part.
Roseman: And it doesn't mean they're not gonna be available going forward, but it's just the way it worked out this summer.
Reporter: When it comes to the new all offense how much does that factor into you and making sure potential trade signing guys off the street?
Roseman: Not waiting to see how things have pan out.
Roseman: Yeah, I think in terms of trade, you know the opportunity has to be right for us as well.
Roseman: Don't want to do something just for the sake of doing something and I think that there has to be a level of patience about how guys are gonna look.
Roseman: We're not we're not showing everything in the preseason, you know, that's that's not what anyone's doing.
Roseman: So you get an opportunity the first four games of the season have always kind of been kind of another ramp up period for for your football team.
Roseman: And so you get an opportunity to evaluate the trade deadlines a long way away.
Roseman: We have the resources to continue improving the team will continue to do that over the next couple days as well.
Roseman: Competition is huge, you know, the 70 guys that are gonna be on our team here in the next 24 hours we like we're excited about but at the same token.
Roseman: We're not handing out any scholarships, you know.
Roseman: You know at first I'd say what an unbelievable player one unbelievable person tremendous respect for him and the same time love what we have going in our tight end room, too.
Roseman: So I would say, you know have talked to Zach over a period of time.
Roseman: Obviously rehab in his ACL and the relationship just like a lot of our former players who've been here.
Roseman: But like anything else won't wouldn't get into any conversations about anything other than from a big-picture perspective.
Roseman: You know my opinion one of the greatest tight ends to play the game and just a tremendous respect for him and also excited about the tight ends that we have here.
Reporter: On the defensive side Jonathan Bernard, you know with him missing the time that big Vangio talked said that he'd be learning some new things and in terms of coverage.
Reporter: Just what do you what do you make of him coming back and how much it would take for him to kind of get into speed?
Roseman: Yeah, I mean you know us not having him on Pup and missing time here shows that you know we anticipate him playing sooner rather than later.
Roseman: What that timetable is again we'll keep close to the vest.
Roseman: The guy's a tremendous football player. He's got a tremendous ability to affect the quarterback.
Roseman: He's gonna come back in tremendous shape.
Roseman: I think that you saw the D lines obviously a position of emphasis for us always.
Roseman: The guy fits what we do.
Roseman: Yeah, there'll be some things that will be a little bit different and we'll get him up to speed but we expect him to have a high impact on this team this season.
Roseman: And for all accounts of what he's done and how he works and how he leads, you know, he's as advertised so we're excited to have him.
Reporter: Decision to people Elijah Moore on the 53 and if you could just hit on the state of the wide receiver group overall?
Roseman: Elijah Moore had a great camp. He was able to separate. He knows how to get open. He catches everything.
Roseman: This is a guy that we really like coming out of Mississippi Joe drafted him with the Jets.
Roseman: He when he traded him to Cleveland. We're interested in him at that time followed him didn't really have kind of the the end the last year that he wanted to in Buffalo in Denver.
Roseman: And we came in and just said it there's gonna be an opportunity.
Roseman: He came in in great shape. All he did was really make plays.
Roseman: We know that if we put him in the game we can count on him to run good routes to separate and catch balls.
Roseman: And we didn't want to risk losing that and the receiver core, you know obviously you would have liked them to be together a little bit more here through the summer.
Roseman: But have a lot of confidence in that group. I think it's a talented group from top to bottom all those guys they play different roles.
Roseman: It starts with Smitty who I don't think it's a secret how high we are and him tase exactly what we thought he would be.
Roseman: You know, obviously prior to the regular season, you know going into the regular season have tremendous confidence in Makai Hollywood everyone saw a coop and the growth that he showed a development that he showed.
Roseman: And then obviously we talked a little bit there about Elijah.
Roseman: I think Jalen's adjusted really well to the new offense now again, you know, we're at a moment in time we haven't played a game.
Roseman: This isn't in reference to jail and this isn't reference anything else so I think that a lot of the things that will do during the regular season when we have game plans.
Roseman: You know, I think from an offensive perspective, they're gonna be some different than what we've done in the past and Jalen's embraced it he's excited about it.
Roseman: And obviously we got to be better than we were last year and that was really how the offseason started and started with led by coach Sirianni and saying where we were in points scored.
Roseman: We're an offense wasn't good enough. And so here we are starting the season looking to improve.
Unknown: You got?
Reporter: Yeah, other guys for Zach?
Roseman: Well, I don't know if we if we talked about this before camp.
Roseman: Certainly if if any of you would have given me a truth serum and said, you know, what are you looking for in training camp?
Roseman: It would be how our interior offensive line depth panned out and the way that drew Willie you guys know what? Willie and then obviously Micah.
Roseman: You know keeping Micah those young guys and the growth that they showed their ability to play in the passing game in the run game.
Roseman: I mean really really excited about those guys about being able to have those guys being able to develop those guys.
Roseman: But at the same time have confidence that if those guys need to play that they're ready to play.
Roseman: And so, you know, I was saying it you know that our interior line depth.
Roseman: It was kind of in a different spot than it had been in years past relying on some young guys to take a step and a lot of credit to coach Cooper and the guys around him for getting these guys ready to go.
Roseman: And feel like it's it weren't a really good spot there and it was a concern going into camp so excited about those guys and I think you got you guys watch it and you see that they all have potential to come in and play at a high level.
Roseman: All right. Thank you.