Roster building is an art form, and in his own way, Howie Roseman takes a brush every day to the palette of his Philadelphia Eagles roster, looking for ways to add a dab here, a dash there, and, if the opportunity presents itself, a broad stroke to improve the portrait.

It doesn't matter if it is in the spring, at the time of an NFL Draft, or through the summer and Training Camp, or well into and up to the league's Trade Deadline, which just happened to be on Tuesday at 4 PM.

By then, Roseman had made three deals in a matter of a few days – trading for cornerbacks Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander and then adding outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips – and as he walked from a video studio upstairs to his office at the NovaCare Complex, Roseman talked about making an impact. Adding layers to the 6-2 Eagles to give them a better chance to win another Super Bowl. Measuring the value of a trade with the remaining NFL Draft capital the team still has heading into the spring of 2026.

It all makes sense for Roseman and for the Eagles.

"What are you doing in the Draft? You're trying to do whatever you can to build a World Championship team," Roseman said. "When you have an opportunity in the moment to help the current team that you have compete for a World Championship, I think that in itself is everything you're dreaming about in April. That's how I think about, for example, giving up a third-round pick now for a really good player (Phillips) who can impact the team.

"When you're sitting there in April, you're going, 'How can I impact the team to win another Super Bowl?' We're in a moment where we can do that right now and so I think that's the exciting part of all of this. We have a chance here to make our team better and that's what we're doing."

And that is the daily mindset and action plan for Roseman, who has been dotting the roster canvas with improvements since the start of the summer. The Eagles traded for quarterback Sam Howell to shore up an already-strong room. They brought back Fred Johnson to add depth at offensive tackle. They acquired Tank Bigsby, even with a loaded running back room already in place.

You've heard this before, but it bears repeating: Roseman operates with an eye on the now and an eye on the future. He and the coaching staff are in lockstep with what the Eagles want in players, in skill set, in locker room fit, in character on and off the field.

And as Roseman has made all of these moves, the Eagles still have an enviable 2026 NFL Draft stockpile, as he explains.

"Certainly with taking a Day 2 pick out of there (the third-round pick sent to Miami for Phillips), it impacts what we have in the spring, but we expect to potentially have as many as nine picks in April," Roseman said, "including at least six in the first four rounds, maybe more. We feel like we will have a lot to work with at that time.

"Right now, we know we have a big opportunity with this football team in the second half of this season."

And by bringing in Phillips, Carter, and Alexander, the Eagles have even more to work with now. Phillips adds to the edge group, which also brings back Brandon Graham and should have Nolan Smith in the lineup in short order.

Roseman on Phillips: "All these guys, the process starts with college. We spent a lot of time with him coming out of college, knowing the person. It's real easy to scout the player. He's got freak ability, he can rush, he can set the edge, he can play in space. He's got a non-stop motor. I think one of the most fun things to do is put on his tape and watch his effort.

"When you have the athleticism and the physical ability he has with the effort he has and then just going and seeing that he was the (Dolphins') Walter Payton Man of the Year (nominee) in Miami, the things he does in the community. He comes from an unbelievable family. Obviously, Vic (Fangio, defensive coordinator) was with him (in Miami, 2023 season) … it wasn't a hard trade to make."

Roseman on Carter: "Michael is another guy that we knew really well coming out of college and then just like Vic with Jaelan, Joe Douglas (Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to the General Manager) is here and he had a lot of experience with the person (Joe Douglas was the Jets' General Manager who drafted Carter in 2021). The guy has played at an elite level inside, so that gives you flexibility there. He's an incredibly sharp guy. Joe Kasper (safeties coach) coached him at Duke. He can play safety, which is really important. We've always had that piece of a guy who can play nickel and then come into the game and play safety."

Roseman on Alexander: "I remember when he signed in June with Baltimore what a great signing by them. Obviously, it didn't work out the way that he wanted or they wanted or he wouldn't have been available to us. The relationship we have with Baltimore and being able to have honest conversations and understanding what he went through a little bit in Training Camp and getting back to health – he obviously missed a lot of time last year (with Green Bay) – and then doing a deep dive on him and how successful he's been and what we thought of him last year … sometimes in this league you acquire information and you watch everything and you feel the risk is worth the reward here. I think when you talk about a still-young guy, knowing where his health is at now, feeling healthy, feeling good, we felt the risk was worth the reward with him."

What all of this means for the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles is to be seen, but as he's done in past seasons with great success, Roseman used assets he has to make the team better and still keep the Eagles in a healthy position for the future.

That's his job. And he's the best at it in the NFL. Days like Tuesday, Roseman has seen in the past, reverberate through the locker room and the walls of the NovaCare Complex. The impact is felt everywhere as the Eagles do the things to put themselves in a better position to make another championship run.

"I feel a responsibility to our players to do whatever I can to help them," Roseman said. "The players work so hard and make so many sacrifices and to not do everything I can to help us would be a disservice to them, to everyone. We have a chance here and I'm excited we were able to get some things done that I think, we all think, will make us a better football team."