Ten years later, Howie Roseman’s Sam Bradford trade is still shaping the Eagles
Ten years ago to the day, Howie Roseman pulled off one of the best trades of his Eagles tenure, and the ripple effects are still showing up as Philadelphia heads into the 2026 season.
On Sept. 3, 2016, the Eagles sent quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings for a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 fourth-round pick. At the time, it felt like a stunning return for a quarterback whose lone season as the starter had been solid at best. Bradford threw for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2015, and the Eagles finished 6-9.
The deal only became possible because of everything that happened before it. Ahead of the 2015 season, Roseman lost a reported power struggle with Chip Kelly, who took control of the 53-man roster and made Bradford one of his first major additions. Kelly sent Nick Foles and a second-round pick to the Rams to get him.
That move didn’t stick. Roseman eventually regained control, then committed to Carson Wentz by trading up to take him No. 2 overall.
Wentz outplayed Bradford and Chase Daniel in camp, and it was obvious he was the future. Bradford, though, was still sitting in front of him on the depth chart.
Then Teddy Bridgewater changed everything. On Aug. 30, 2016, the Vikings quarterback tore his ACL and suffered other structural damage, including a dislocation of the knee joint.
He was at risk of losing his leg after the “horribly grotesque injury.” Minnesota, a Super Bowl contender with U.S.
Bank Stadium newly opened, needed a starting quarterback immediately.
Roseman answered the call.
Birds fans could hardly believe Bradford brought back a first-round pick, but that’s exactly what happened. And the Eagles didn’t just restock; they turned those assets into pieces that mattered in their championship runs.
With the 2017 first-rounder, they drafted defensive end Derek Barnett. His career didn’t pan out the way the team hoped, but he still delivered one unforgettable moment: recovering the decisive Brandon Graham strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII. Foles, whom Roseman later brought back, was the quarterback who finished the job in the Eagles’ 41-33 win over the Patriots.
The 2018 fourth-round pick turned into Josh Sweat, who grew into a real force off the edge. Sweat had 2 1/2 sacks in Super Bowl LVII as the Eagles beat the Chiefs and won their second Lombardi Trophy.
After that title, Sweat left for the Cardinals on a lucrative deal, and the Eagles got a 2026 compensatory fourth-round pick tied to his departure. That pick became part of the package used to move up and select wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 20 overall.
Lemon is the next piece in the chain. If he becomes a star, the path back starts with Roseman sending Bradford away on Sept. 3, 2016.
In Other News...
Zack Baun Is Becoming Even More Important To This Eagles Defense
Zack Baun has hardly left the field for the Eagles this season, and that has mattered as much as any box score number. Even while dealing with multiple injuries, he has started every game and been on the field for 98% of the teams defensive snaps, still functioning as one of the most stable pieces of a defense that has needed steady voices in the middle. The raw production has dipped from his 2024 All-Pro peak, but his value has clearly gone beyond splash plays.
Bauns influence has been especially important with Nakobe Dean gone and second-year linebacker Jihaad Campbell stepping into a bigger role. Eagles linebackers coach Bobby King has pointed to Bauns toughness, leadership and the way he has helped Campbell adjust to life as a starter, which says plenty about where the veterans importance now sits. Even if the numbers are not as eye-catching as they were a year ago, the Eagles keep finding more reasons to lean on him. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Faces A 2026 Eagles Test He Has Never Had Before
The Eagles offense is about to ask Jalen Hurts to do something he has not done much of in his NFL career, and that makes Sean Mannions arrival as offensive coordinator one of the more important changes in Philadelphia this offseason. Mannion comes over from the Packers with a scheme that leans more heavily on under-center throws, a shift that could reshape how the Eagles approach the passing game and how Hurts is used within it.
For a quarterback who has built much of his success operating in a different style, the transition could become one of the defining storylines of Philadelphias 2026 season. The adjustment will not just be about comfort level, either, because the effectiveness of Mannions offense may hinge on how quickly Hurts adapts and whether the Eagles can keep their attack moving without a long growing pains period. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Fans Will Notice A Few Surprising Names Missing After Cutdowns
The roster math was brutal, as it always is at cutdown time, but the Eagles still came through Tuesday with a few names that stood out for the wrong reasons. Philadelphia got down to 53 players by trimming 36, with two more moved to injured reserve/designated to return, and the day brought the kind of churn that usually follows for a team trying to protect the depth it spent months building.
What jumped out most was how much business the Eagles had to do through waivers. They lost four players there, more than any other team in the league, including Gushiken and Cameron Latu, who was claimed by the Patriots, while 13 players were kept on the 17-man practice squad. Five of those are back from last year, and with a handful of new arrivals mixing in, the next layer of the roster is already taking shape even as some of the cuts quickly found new homes on other practice squads. [Read more 🡒]