Ranking Eagles' five worst free-agent signings under GM Howie Roseman with Bryce Huff trade reportedly on tap
Huff isn't Roseman's worst free-agent acquisition, but it's up there
By
Jeff Kerr
•
4 min read
Howie Roseman is arguably the best general manager in football. Two Super Bowl championships in seven seasons with two completely different rosters speaks for itself.
Roseman is a savant with the salary cap, never afraid to take some big swings in free agents and trades. With the home run mentality, sometimes those swings become misses.
Enter Bryce Huff, the latest miss for Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles. They signed Huff to a three-year, $51 million deal last season to bolster a pass rush that dealt with the loss of Haason Reddick after Philadelphia dealt him to the New York Jets. The Eagles ended up with the No. 1 defense in football with one of the best four-man rushes in the sport, a unit Huff had minimal contributions.
Huff was a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, which went largely unnoticed due to how dominant the four-man rush was in the convincing victory. That will be the last game Huff puts on an Eagles uniform, as the franchise is reportedly working to finalize a trade that will send Huff to the San Francisco 49ers -- just one year into a contract that paid Huff $17 million a season.
For all the success Roseman has with free-agent signings and trade acquisitions, he's had some big misses. Even the great general managers don't have a 100% hit rate, but what separates Roseman apart from the rest is his ability to admit those mistakes and move on when he sees the eventual endgame regarding the player's future with the organization and the contract going forward.
With the Eagles working to finalize the Huff deal to the 49ers for a mid-round pick, here's a look at the worst free-agent signings in the Roseman era, which began when he got hired as general manager in 2010 then demoted in 2015 to make room for Chip Kelly before reemerging in 2016 after the Eagles fired Kelly in one season on the job (so Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray are ineligible for this list).
1. Nnamdi Asomugha (2011)
Contract: 5 years, $60 million ($25 million guaranteed)
Roseman's first major swing in free agency was a significant miss. The Eagles won the free-agent sweepstakes to sign Asomugha, who was one of the best cover corners in football when he arrived in Philadelphia. He was the centerpiece of the free-agent binge by Roseman and the Eagles front office immediately after the 2011 lockout.
Philadelphia didn't use Asomugha as a man-cover corner, which led to his downfall. Asomugha was out of place from the start, a product of the Eagles converting Juan Castillo from offensive line coach to defensive coordinator. He pocketed $21 million of the contract before the Eagles released him in 2013.
2. Bryce Huff (2024)
Contract: 3 years, $51 million ($34 million guaranteed)
The Eagles brought Huff to Philadelphia to replace the production of the departing Reddick, who they would trade to the Jets later that offseason. Huff had just 20 pressures and 2.5 sacks with an 11.6% pressure rate in 12 games with the Eagles, a year after having 67 pressures, 10.5 sacks and a 21.3% pressure rate with the Jets.
Huff played just 13 snaps in the postseason, an afterthought in the pass rush. He fell out of favor in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's defense early on and never recovered. The Eagles are set to move on after just one season.
3. Demetress Bell (2012)
Contract: 5 years, $35 million ($2.1 million guaranteed)
The Eagles made a rare panic signing with Bell, as they needed a left tackle for the 2012 season once Jason Peters went down with a ruptured Achilles in April of that year. They signed Bell to a five-year contract, but the deal was essentially for one year as Bell had no guaranteed money beyond the 2012 season.
Philadelphia owed Bell an $8.5 million roster bonus before the 2013 season, but couldn't get rid of the contract soon enough. He started five games with the Eagles before getting benched for King Dunlap in a disastrous 2012 campaign for both he and the Eagles. Bell played four more games with the Eagles in that 2012 season before being out of football completely.
The overall contract was misleading, but Roseman deserves credit for not making a colossal financial mistake. At least the Eagles had an out, but Bell was atrocious in Philadelphia.
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4. Devin White (2024)
Contract: 1 year, $4 million ($3.5 million guaranteed)
White was the top linebacker who got paid by the Eagles last offseason, which is easy to forget given the success of Zack Baun. The Eagles gave White every opportunity to win the job in training camp, but Baun and Nakobe Dean won the off-ball linebacker jobs and never looked back.
At the end of the day, the Eagles ate the $3.5 million given to White. They moved on from him that October after White was a healthy scratch through four games. White never played a regular-season snap in Philadelphia and later signed with Houston after his release from the Eagles.
5. Steve Smith (2011)
Contract: 1 year, $2 million ($2 million guaranteed)
One of the infamous "Dream Team" signings, Smith coming to the Eagles on a one-year deal was initially considered a bargain. Turns out, the contract was a total flop.
A Pro Bowl receiver just two years prior, Smith had 107 catches for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns with the New York Giants. Injuries set Smith back the season before, and he was coming off knee surgery prior to signing with Philadelphia. The New York Giants had reservations on bringing Smith back, so he went to the Eagles.
He finished with 11 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in nine games with the Eagles, being a healthy scratch for three games before landing on injured reserve in December. The deal was just for a year, but it was a disastrous one for an Eagles team that was hoping to get good production from the slot with Smith -- which never matriculated.
