Over the weekend, Marcus Hayes at the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about Howie Roseman receiving “almost total control of Eagles decisions.”

First things first, it’s interesting that Marcus Hayes is the one writing this piece and not Jeff McLane. It makes me think this is a leak from Howie himself. Howie and Jeff McLane don’t really get along, so there’s no shot Howie is talking to him:

And maybe Howie doesn’t trust the new guy, Josh Tolentino, yet with this information, so instead he went to Marcus Hayes who’s been around forever and who as of June was doing part-time gigs at WIP, “Your home for the Philadelphia Eagles!”.

Hayes reports:

“If you like the job he’s doing, then give him full credit, because, according to the sources, today he’s less influenced by others than ever. That includes his boss, owner Jeffrey Lurie. Since the Eagles fired Doug Pederson and hired Nick Sirianni in January 2021, Lurie has stepped back, shut up, and given Roseman free rein.”

When I read that the only thing I could think of was Howie Roseman sitting in his dining room in a chair at the head of the table (with a booster seat) of his Delaware Valley mansion doing a Borat impression, “King in the castle. King in the castle.” This type of power gets Howie rock hard. He probably had to tuck it into his waistband before walking into NovaCare this morning. He can’t miss at this point. Look at what he’s done this offseason:

Still, this is the Howiest of Howie leaks we’ve seen in awhile. Blaming collaboration for the Andre Dillard and Jalen Reagor drafts:

In 2019, Douglas loved polished tackle Andre Dillard, a high-character, pedigreed prospect whom the Eagles picked 22nd overall. As it turned out, Dillard was nowhere near ready for the demands of the NFL. He started nine games in three years.

In 2020, Eagles coaches loved mercurial Jalen Reagor, as did Lurie, who’d become enamored of raw speed in the wake of the Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl LIV, but Eagles scouts preferred prolific pass-catcher Justin Jefferson. Roseman went with the coaches and the owner. Reagor has 64 catches and three touchdowns. Jefferson has 196 catches and 17 touchdowns.

“That’s the one that did it,” said one source, a former Eagles employee.

In 2021, Roseman loved Smith from the beginning. He traded up and got him.

Axing Tom Donahue after he showed Howie up last year during the Milton Williams pick:

Before 2021, Roseman’s reaction to Donahoe’s dismay might have been conciliatory, perhaps even apologetic. Donahoe is NFL nobility; he helped build the 1990s Steelers, and he’d been with the Eagles for 10 years, and he’d helped build the Super Bowl LII winner.

Roseman’s reaction in 2021? He shrugged.

And only paying attention to guys in his circle he trusts:

It’s not as if Roseman ignores the voices in the building. It’s just that, over the last two offseasons, Roseman hasn’t made the mistake of appeasing his staff, or Lurie, or the coaches — with the notable exception of offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

Yea it’s all good now, but this is either going to blow up in Howie’s face or set the Eagles up for the future. I’m nervous and I’m a Howie guy.