Howie Roseman did exactly what he was supposed to do on Tuesday.

Nothing.

No rush rush. No linebacker. No offensive line depth.

As his fellow general managers worked to fill holes on their roster before the NFL’s 4 p.m. trade deadline, Roseman watched its creation and I saw that it was good. Pretty good, at least. And he was 100% right.

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These two things are true:

1. The Eagles were in a position where it made sense to prioritize the here and now.

The rest of the NFC is like vulnerable as he always will be. There’s a good chance the Eagles are more talented than they’ll ever be. Now is the time to throw caution to the wind, prioritize the present and worry later about plans for years to come.

2. The overall talent on the Eagles team was high enough that there was no easy path to improvement.

Should the Eagles have looked to add an elite edge rusher? Of course. Every team should do it. Anytime. This is why elite edge rushers aren’t often traded in the middle of a season. The teams that own them are fully aware of their value. Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett – they were always just fever dreams born from the motivated reasoning of a fan base. Players like that are as untouchable as it gets, at least in the eyes of a functioning front office.

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Look back at recent trade deadlines and you won’t find many moves like the one the Eagles would have needed to make a significant impact on their Super Bowl odds.

A few years ago, the Los Angeles Rams acquired 32-year-old Von Miller and got four sacks from him in the playoffs en route to a title. But the price was high — second- and third-round picks from a team that is now in the midst of a retooling phase.

Two years ago, the Miami Dolphins traded a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds for 26-year-old Bradley Chubb and a fifth-round pick. This one would have deserved some consideration if it was available this time around. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.

The best way to analyze the trade deadline is to look at the value of the picks that traded hands, then consider that 31 other NFL teams decided a player wasn’t worth a higher price. After a month of hype, no first- or second-round picks ended up changing hands before Tuesday’s deadline. There has been a lot of movement in the market for Edge Rushers, but little that would have left the Eagles a clear improvement over Brandon GrahamJosh Sweat, Nolan Smith and Bryce Huff. The largest agreement took place in a Browns-Lions trade that saw Cleveland’s Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick head to Detroit in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. But again, consider the price and the fact that no other NFL team has chosen to surpass it.

The deadline is a desperate time, and the Eagles are not a desperate team. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens have made substantial additions to their wide receiver rooms. DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, Diontae Johnson – these were impactful moves, given the context of their situations. But these three players would have been a third wide receiving option on a depth chart led by AJ Brown And DeVonta Smith. The Washington Commanders improved with the acquisition of New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. But, again, the Eagles don’t need it.

A lot has changed in the last month. We’ve seen that the Eagles can survive with a broken offensive line, a position where in-season improvements only come in the most dire of circumstances. We saw the linebacker Zack Baun emerges as a legitimate force within the defensive coordinator Vic FangioThe diagram of. We’ve seen Graham prove that he still has a long way to go, even at 36 years old. We’ve seen Nolan Smith start to step up to the challenge, with 2½ sacks and an extra tackle for loss in the Eagles’ last four games. We saw Sweat wiping his forehead more and more frequently. He has five sacks in his last five games, including two in the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

» LEARN MORE: Howie Roseman’s Eagles offseason moves, good and bad, took center stage ahead of the NFL trade deadline

That’s not to say that advantage isn’t still an issue. The Eagles have benefited from disparate offensive lines in recent weeks. Their front seven remains the biggest reason to wonder if they can compete with a team like the Lions in a playoff game. But things are improving.

The addition of the cornerback Cooper DeJean was a game changer for run and pass defense. His physical nature in the slot can help fill any possible deficiencies on the edge. Thanks to Fangio for recognizing his talent and adapting to the skills he has. Thanks to Roseman for providing him with the right tools.

“I like what we got,” Fangio told reporters Tuesday, hours before the trade deadline arrived.

It’s a good place to be.