Eagles Super Bowl takeaways: Howie Roseman built the best team in franchise history. Take a bow.

NEW ORLEANS — The cigars have been smoked, the champagne has been splattered, and the parade is on. For the second time in eight years, the Eagles are Super Bowl champions.

The team’s 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX will cement the 2024 season as one of the greatest in franchise history, minted with a locker room celebration that went strong a couple hours after the final whistle at the Superdome.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni says the Eagles did it together all the way through last night’s celebrations: ‘That just emphasizes team.’

For one final time this season, here’s what we learned:

Howie Roseman pinged around the Eagles locker room, starting in the middle of a dance circle and eventually dashing through the space with the Lombardi Trophy in one hand and a cigar in the other.

He had plenty of reason to celebrate, after what was arguably his best offseason as general manager. Several of his moves served as the catalyst for the Eagles' championship run.

During Sunday’s game, the weight and volume of Roseman’s additions, particularly on defense, were impossible to ignore. Draft picks in Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt. Free-agent signings like Zack Baun and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Each player made a sizable impact operating in a dominant system installed by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, another addition Roseman had a hand in securing.

On offense, Saquon Barkley’s gravity opened things up in the passing game and Mekhi Becton’s steady play on the interior line contributed to a handful of cavernous pockets for Jalen Hurts.

The result is the most talented roster in franchise history cementing that status with a trophy.

For most of this year, there was a legitimate argument to be made that this Eagles team was built in a way unlike most during Roseman’s 15 seasons with the team. The defense was led by a well-organized, opportunistic secondary rather than an imposing defensive line papering over potential coverage cracks. The offense prioritized the run in a way that hasn’t often been the case in recent memory.

But on the biggest stage against quality opponents in each of the last three games, the Eagles fell back onto their core philosophies. They got elite play along both lines of scrimmage, leaned on their franchise quarterback, and got blowout victories in accordance.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts’ improbable path to Super Bowl MVP removes any doubt that the Eagles ‘have the quarterback’

Roseman’s formula, and the two Super Bowl titles that came with it, further strengthens one of the best resumés among GMs, both current and former. He’s the fifth executive in league history to win championships with more than one quarterback. The other four — Bobby Beathard, Al Davis, Ozzie Newsome, and George Young — are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Roseman will likely join them one day, but there may still be plenty of chapters remaining in his story.

There was a not-so-subtle close-up of Nick Sirianni’s dry eyes during the national anthem, but a moment caught on the Jumbotron a few minutes earlier should hold more significance when evaluating how the coach approached the Super Bowl in his second go-round.

Sirianni sat on a bench, leaned back, straight-faced and resolute. It was hardly by accident. The Eagles coach told The Athletic he wanted to project a calmness to his players, illustrative of the growth he has made in the last two seasons.

That’s not to say the emotional side of Sirianni was wrong; Eagles players have often defended their coach’s fiery nature on the sideline as part of what makes him who he is. He had his share of emotional showings Sunday as well, notably sprinting down the sideline watching Cooper DeJean’s pick-six and celebrating with players.

But in moments like the one leading into the game, Sirianni’s effort to temporarily keep a lid on things evokes memories of a story he told early in his tenure about watching the flight attendant on a turbulent flight as a nervous flier. An anxious reaction to choppy air can be unsettling for onlooking passengers, and steadiness can beget steadiness.

“Am I perfect when the turbulence is really rocky?” Sirianni said after the 2023 season. “Am I sitting like that stewardess — I wish I knew the name of who that was. Am I sitting perfectly still like this at all times? No. But I know I’m better than I was when I was looking around like that. So I’m growing, just like we want our players to grow in all areas. I’m growing, too, and I do definitely feel like I’ve made steps, and still trying to grow in that area.”

» READ MORE: Vic Fangio quietly savors a Super Bowl masterpiece, as Josh Sweat and the Eagles defense feast on the Chiefs

For the better part of the last few months, the Eagles’ turbulence has looked different, but it was still there at times. Sirianni needed a smooth takeoff on Sunday, pulled it off, and deserves plenty of credit after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time.

The Eagles young edge rushers, up: Hunt and Nolan Smith combined for nine pressures and a half-sack Sunday, giving plenty of reason for optimism about the pair playing prominent roles in a rotation next season. Smith didn’t show up in the official stat sheet but had a couple of impact plays, like a key hurry against Patrick Mahomes to force an errant third-down throw. He also blew up a Chiefs rushing attempt in the second quarter to create a tackle for loss for Moro Ojomo.

Zack Baun and Milton Williams’ market value, up: With both Baun and Williams set to test free agency next month, each showed just how valuable he has been this season on the biggest stage. Baun has contributed to five takeaways this postseason, capping his All-Pro breakout season with an interception to help extend the Eagles’ lead in the second quarter. Sometimes taking advantage of the Chiefs offensive line sliding toward Jalen Carter, Williams finished with two sacks and four pressures as well. Each will be in high demand when free agency opens, especially coming off such dominant performances.

Commemorate the Super Birds

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