Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Roseman reward trio with deals
The Eagles signed three special teams fixtures — Chris Maragos, Jon Dorenbos and Donnie Jones — to three-year contract extensions in the past couple of days.
PHILADELPHIA >> The charter to Seattle almost ready to board, Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman moved the impromptu press conference along.
The Eagles signed three special teams fixtures — Chris Maragos, Jon Dorenbos and Donnie Jones — to three-year contract extensions in the past couple of days.
Roseman quickly spelled out why before gathering his stuff for the trip to the airport.
“The individuals, the guys we’re talking about, the leadership they bring, the class that they exemplify on and off the field is so important for us,” Roseman said. “Really, just guys as we’re building this and trying to get some continuity, they’re guys that we really saw here going forward.”
Roseman dismissed the midseason signings as a change in philosophy. Rather, he said the Eagles wanted to keep as many of their good players as possible, those who are “the fiber and backbone of this team.”
That includes defensive tackle Bennie Logan, whose deal expires at the end of this season.
“Yeah, Bennie fits in that group as a fiber guy, a guy that we drafted, great character, leadership and a really good player,” Roseman said. “And we’d love to keep Bennie in Philly.”
Maragos, 29, is the leader of the Eagles’ special teams along with Bryan Braman. He gets his teammates lined up correctly when he’s not making plays. His touchdown return of a blocked punt in 2014 helped the Eagles to a 34-28 win over the Rams.
Maragos’ skills, leadership and durability could have netted him a good deal elsewhere after this season. He felt uncomfortable thinking about that.
“The biggest thing for me is when I evaluated it, I looked back and I thought about the guys I was playing with,” Maragos said. “I thought about the relationships I built with these guys. If I were to ever leave I just wouldn’t feel right knowing that I’m just kind of leaving them behind. We’ve got unfinished business here that we need to do and take care of and I really want to be a part of that.”
Maragos thinks the Eagles are close to having the pieces to compete for a Super Bowl in the next three years. He should know. He has a ring.
Dorenbos, 36, is a long snapper in his 14th NFL season, including his 11 with the Eagles.
Dorenbos’ magic act recently got him to the finals on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. That brought a lot of positive attention to the Eagles brand. Sticking around another three years was a no-brainer.
“You kidding me, man? I love it,” Dorenbos said. “You know what, I’m super happy. The organization has been fair since Day One. I’m just thankful. I’ve been here a long time. And for them to say, ‘Hey, look, we want to keep you around, you’ve still got it.’ I’m happy. Really happy. This place is personal to me. I love these people and I want to be a part of winning. This team is going in the right direction. … I’m stoked.”
Hours after Dorenbos was signed, the Eagles announced that 36-year-old punter Johnson agreed to a three-year extension.
Previously the Eagles inked kicker Caleb Sturgis to a one-year extension.
Logan, for the record, was surprised to hear that Roseman said he wanted to keep him around. You’d probably think the same if the guy lining up next to you, Fletcher Cox, recently signed a $103 million pact with a lot of guaranteed money.
“He said that?” Logan said of Roseman. “I guess so, then. Yeah, I feel like we’ll get something done. But I don’t really deal with that during the season. I’m focusing on playing.”
The gut feeling Maragos has is the Eagles are headed in the same direction as the Seahawks team that beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl in the 2013 season.
“When you really look at what we’re building here, Mr. Roseman is doing a phenomenal job at just assembling our roster,” Maragos said. “What he’s been able to do to acquire a young quarterback and then acquire picks now, too ... to be able to put us in a position to have success. Obviously, Mr. Lurie is top notch as an owner. He gives us, financially, everything we need. It allows the team, the organization, the front office to do the moves they need to make to be competitive.
“And most importantly we just have a really great locker room of guys. And we have great cohesiveness. So I really feel like given all those things we really have an opportunity to compete (for a Super Bowl), and I’m really confident we will.”
The first stop on that road is Seattle, this Sunday.