Remember when winning 12 games felt elite? Now it feels disappointing. Making the playoffs used to feel good; now, a first or second-round exit is a gut punch.
That’s not due to a decline; it's a fanbase and an organization that have recalibrated their standards. Everyone from ownership down has adjusted.
The Eagles' front office used to operate emotionally, extending players they should have let walk and keeping players past their prime, who no longer made above-average contributions. They have pivoted and operate in a way that some may view as cold. But that change in philosophy is what has sustained a winning franchise since Howie took back over in 2016.
Most fans want a splash during free agency, but sustainable contenders want insulation and rarely overspend the first day. That’s a major difference between winning franchises and losing ones. If you consistently buy players at the top of the market price, your salary cap will suffer as badly as the failed draft picks that got the team there in the first place. It is a vicious cycle. Drafting and developing are key.
Evaluating the roster is different now, too. Some look at the team and think this roster is falling off, but you’re evaluating the floor instead of the ceiling. And that’s backwards. The Eagles aren’t regressing. They are taking more high-end swings on talent and filling backup roles when needed if a high-trait player doesn’t meet expectations. Most observers and fans are just uncomfortable not being historically loaded at every position. The Eagles are looking for top-tier talent, not role players. They can get those at any time of the year.
The Eagles’ evaluations of edge rushers offer a good look at their thinking on raw sack totals versus pressure rates, and give an insight into how much they trust their analytics.
Pressure creation and pass-rush win rate, as opposed to sack totals, is how a player like Jonathan Greenard is on their trade list despite totaling 3 sacks in 2025. Howie targets pass rushers who collapse pockets repeatedly, and the team tracks how quickly a player gets near the quarterback. Under 2.5 seconds is generally accepted as elite. They also study double-team rate metrics.
In short, Philadelphia often targets edge rushers with lower sack totals but elite traits and above-average pressure numbers in college or early in their NFL careers, because they believe that is a better barometer of success.
They have their personal team thresholds for every position. They trust the plan during free agency and the NFL Draft, and rinse and repeat.
Philadelphia may appear uninvolved while they wait for the right guy on the market at the right price, but chasing stats and paying for what a player has done is not how a team wins. Believing in traits and projecting what lies ahead is the winning formula.
So while some fans get frustrated this time of year, this is how the Eagles will keep their “Super Bowl Window” open longer. Trusting their core beliefs and philosophies, and not getting caught up in the expectations, but rather sticking with what created their ascent in the first place.
As always, thank you for reading!
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