Eagles’ Howie Roseman steals Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff from New York

New York has always had the best shopping. Little wonder then, when the free-agent market opened, Howie Roseman hit the Big Apple hard.

First, Roseman snagged the best available young pass-rusher, Jets end/linebacker Bryce Huff.

Then, he landed the best running back available, Giants superstar Saquon Barkley —who, like quarterback Jalen Hurts, can squat 600 pounds. Imagine the Tush Push possibilities alone.

These were bright spots amid some recently bleak Eagles prospects. The Birds lost running back D’Andre Swift, a Philly native, to the Bears almost as soon as the negotiation window opened at noon. Camden native Haason Reddick, whose two-year homecoming meant 27 sacks for the Eagles, wants a contract extension and has been granted permission to seek a trade. Eagles legends Fletcher Cox retired Sunday, and Jason Kelce retired last week.

» READ MORE: Landon Dickerson and the Eagles agree to terms on a four-year contract extension through 2028

Now, in Barkley, they’ve got a Penn State all-time great who rushed for more than 1,300 yards in 2018 and 2022. They got him three years and $37.7 million, which sounds like decent money but is an indication of the NFL’s devaluation of the position. Regardless, it’s a good deal for a 27-year-old with significant mileage nonetheless. He is the best possible complement for an offense run by dual-threat QB like Hurts, with weapons like receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.

Now, in the 25-year-old Huff, they’ve got a chance to beat the league again.

Roseman rode a hunch two years ago when he signed Reddick. He’s riding a hunch again, this time pitting himself against a former employee.

Through his first three seasons, Reddick had 7½ sacks.

Through his first three seasons, Huff had 7½ sacks.

In his next four seasons, Reddick had 50½ sacks.

The Eagles are betting that Huff follows suit.

The Birds made their first big splash in the legal-tampering window of free agency Monday afternoon when they agreed to a three-year, $51.1 million deal with Huff. It’s a comparable deal to the one they made with Reddick in 2022, which was three years and $45 million. It’s been a bargain.

Like Reddick, Huff took a while to blossom into a legitimate threat from the edge. Unlike Reddick, who was a first-round pick of the Cardinals out of Temple in 2017, Huff was undrafted out of Memphis in 2020. He broke out with 10 sacks last season, but the Jets declined to re-sign him.

It’s intriguing that the Jets are run by Joe Douglas, Roseman’s former director of player personnel. Douglas signed Huff out of college and kept him through restricted free agency last year.

Of course, with less than half of the Eagles’ reported $42 million in salary cap space entering Monday, the Jets might not consider a one-year wonder worth a $50 million investment. Reddick is entering a cap-unfriendly final year of his deal, and he’s fishing for an extension. Roseman has given him permission to secure a trade.

» READ MORE: NFL free agency updates: Eagles land Barkley, edge rusher Huff; Birds free agent tracker

Reddick collected 16 sacks in his first season as an Eagle, but had just 11 last year and none in the last five games, including the playoff loss.

Of course, neither stops the run worth a damn. Neither is expected to.

Other defenders can slow down the Saquon Barkleys of the world.