Roseman’s personnel team always looks at the now and also to the future, and the prospect of a first-round draft pick in 2028 – of course, that pick could be anywhere from one to 32 as the Eagles will have two No. 1 picks that spring – was enticing. The two picks acquired Monday are assets that can be utilized in future trades at any time under Roseman’s watch.
The Eagles prepare; they always have done so. They have loaded up with the wide receiver room in the offseason – in free agency, signing Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore, trading for Dontayvian Wicks, and then using a first-round draft pick on Makai Lemon. That, plus the return of some talented players led by DeVonta Smith gives the team confidence that Brown’s production will be replaced.
“Obviously, here, we’re very early on, building our team for 2026,” Roseman said. “We have a lot of confidence in DeVonta Smith, always have. I think he’s just a really, really, really good player, excited for him to continue to improve and shine as a player. I have a lot of confidence in that, obviously. We took a receiver in the first round. I have a lot of confidence in that player. We traded for Wicks. I feel like the guy’s a really talented player who knows the offense, was with our coaches. We signed Hollywood, who’s shown improvement over time, that he has a trait (speed), an elite trait.
“And then we got a bunch of other receivers here who early in camp are looking good and we’ll have competition throughout that position like every other position. But, there’s no doubt that A.J. Brown was a huge, huge part of our football team, a great player for us, and that loss will have to be picked up by more than just one player.”
There’s the “why.” The Eagles, as they have done in the past, have planned for this and are well equipped to move on as they continue Phase 3 of the offseason program before the break prior to the start of the 2026 Training Camp.
