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Howie Roseman Reportedly Going for Flexibility in Roster Build to Accommodate Whatever Ends Up Happening with A.J. Brown
By Matt Schultz
Published:
As A.J. Brown trade chatter continues (starting to think this may go on forever, it’s possible), NFL insider Mike Garafolo says that Howie Roseman is committed to keeping every option available as he builds out the rest of the roster:
“…based on conversations I’ve had, it can kind of go either way. That they’re sort of building around A.J. Brown, but also if they make the trade, they feel good about the guys that… will remain as part of the wide receiver depth chart. So Howie Roseman, as he’s wont to do, is sort of approaching things to give himself flexibility. You don’t ever want to paint yourself into a corner as a general manager. If he says ‘Well, we’re not gonna trade him so I’m not gonna build [out] the depth chart because I know I’m gonna have my number one wide receiver,’ then you wind up trading him and you’re screwed. If you do it the other way, and you say, ‘Well, we’re just gonna load it, and [some] guys that aren’t going to be able to co-exist with A.J.,’ well, that’s not going to work either. So, Roseman is sort of doing it both ways here, and making sure that he’s got some flexibility regardless…”
Seems to me that Howie is playing this situation the best way he can. A.J. certainly hasn’t made things easy for him by publicly signaling his distaste for the offense, the coaches, and the QB throughout the offseason. Add a couple months of fire-stoking by every media outlet in the country that talks football, and the GM has been left with very little leverage here. So why not wait things out to see what happens, and prioritize maximizing flexibility while filling out the roster? Going out and grabbing Dontayvion Wicks is the exact right kind of play. Toe the line of both A.J. possibilities – he stays or he goes – without over-leveraging yourself one way or the other.
I commend you, Howie. I am giving you my personal stamp of approval, here. Now please resolve the A.J. situation soon so we can all talk about something else.
Kinkead: Matt is our new guy. He went to St. Joe’s. Let’s give him a warm CB welcome.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…)