When Howie Roseman built this year’s roster, he prioritized guys with a chip on their shoulders.
There has never been a really solid single answer for the disastrous end of the 2023 season for the Eagles, and while from the outside it appears that they’ve moved on and are looking ahead, player interviews indicate the team has a bigger chip on their shoulder than they let on.
If you ask head coach Nick Sirianni what the identity is of the 2024 Eagles, he’d probably tell you that they don’t know yet. He’ll note that they want to be tough and to play with relentless effort, but the identity has yet to be established — but that might not be entirely true.
Parris Campbell spoke on Varsity House Podcast about how he had a chip on his shoulder after the Giants benched him, and how Howie Roseman even mentioned that when they spoke during free agency.
“Talking about that chip that the team and the organization has, but like, we walked into it. OTAs and the offseason program, I was like, ‘Yo, we’re kinda like grinding,’ like what’s going on. Usually offseason programs kind of chill, relaxed, let the guys get back into it. I was like, ‘Was y’all doing this last year?,’ and they said, ‘Nah bro, we finished 1-in-7 so it ain’t sweet.’”
Devin White shared a similar story when he spoke to Ryan Clark on the Pivot podcast. He said that Roseman called him directly to discuss the LB coming to Philly — something no other GM did — and how he told White about having to work his way back to the top after hitting the floor during the Chip Kelly-era. White said that wanting to prove themselves was something they had in common, and something much of the team had in common too.
There are stories like that throughout the roster. Isaiah Rodgers, who won’t play in Week 1, missed the whole 2023 season and is hungry to prove he was worth the Eagles taking a chance on him in 2024. C.J. Gardner-Johnson missed most of last season due to injury, and then made his big return to Philly with something to prove.
While building a roster with one invisible string between the group might be unconventional, having a team of guys hungry to prove something is very Philadelphia — and is very exciting to root for.
