Howie Roseman did it again.

The Eagles’ highly regarded general manager usually begins weaving his magic before the NFL draft in April, producing the prizes that reap dividends later down the road.

During the season -specifically at the NFL trade deadline - Roseman manages to find a complementary piece or pieces that further enhance a burgeoning team.

This season, Roseman once more found his touch supplementing the team’s pass rush and secondary, both of which have underperformed.

Now, the question will be whether Roseman’s moves will put the Eagles back into the Super Bowl driver’s seat.

In this version of my Inside the Huddle column, I’ll look at the Eagles’ possibilities down the stretch, a swirl around the league, a stop at South Bend, and a look back at a former Lehighton standout who had a stellar coaching career. And is a legendary head coach coming back?

Feathering the Nest: Roseman certainly worked to strengthen the Birds’ secondary and pass rush, two areas in which they have been deficient this season.

Cornerbacks Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander and linebacker/edge rusher Jaelen Phillips were all acquired at the trade deadline, and all - 28 years or younger - are expected to play major roles the rest of the season.

Carter developed into a productive starter and nickel corner with the Jets, and he is regarded as one of the better cover and slot corners in the league. The highly regarded Alexander was the Packers’ top pick in 2018, and he signed a one-year deal with the Ravens for this season.

But Alexander’s play deteriorated with the Ravens, and Roseman is confident he can reenergize his game in Philly. Both Carter and Alexander provide depth for the secondary stable, and they should help reorganize it as well.

The real steal could be the 26-year-old Phillips, who was dealt for a 2026 third-round pick. That might be considered high considering Phillips can walk after the season with his rookie contact expiring. He has three sacks this season and 26 overall in five, but he has only played 17 games in his first two years.

However, the Eagles still hold the Jets’ third-round pick next season from the Haason Reddick trade, and they can possibly get a third-round pick for losing Milton Williams to free agency.

If Phillips plays well and signs elsewhere next season, the Eagles could receive a draft pick on Phillips’ contract or how the Eagles spend in free agency.

But if Phillips does well, he likely will find a new home with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, as the two were together in Miami in 2023.

If you remember, Roseman added Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Isaiah Rodgers, Kenny Pickett, and John Metchie III last season.

Not Coming Up Roses: Does anyone remember the Eagles’ dream team? In 2011, Roseman was in his second year as GM, and the Eagles were coming off a 10-6 season Roseman chose to sign a number of high-profile and mostly all-pro veterans.

Quarterback Vince Young, guard Evan Mathis, defensive end Jason Babin, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, running back Ronnie Brown, and wide receiver Steve Smith came on board, and Young called the Eagles “the dream team.”

Well, the dream wasn’t a pleasant one.

The Birds produced an overall 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. Young Brown and Smith, both former first-round picks of the Titans and Dolphins respectively, saw very limited action and were ineffective. They both weren’t on the 2012 roster that further fell to 4-12 leading to the firing of head coach Andy Reid.

In 2011, the Birds drafted University of Cincinnati center Jason Kelce in the sixth round. However, first-round pick guard Danny Watkins out of Baylor was a bust, and he was gone after the following year.

Current Giants’ interim head coach Mike Kafka was a third-string quarterback for the Birds and saw action in four games.

Graham was a budding second-year defensive end on the 2011 roster.

What’s My Line: establishtherun.com is regarded as one of more established and reputable websites rating the league offensive lines.

Heading into Week 10, the Eagles’ unit was at the top of the list followed by the Bills, Broncos, Colts, and Lions.

Pro Football Focus, another highly respected outlet, had the Broncos, Bills, Colts, Eagles, and Lions.

In the preseason, establishtherun.com had the Eagles, Bills, Bucs, Broncos, and Vikings in the top five.

A Free-man to Explore Some Options: Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman suddenly has surfaced as a possible candidate for an NFL head coaching job.

In his fifth year at South Bend, Freeman already is a hot commodity to be considered for open college jobs at Penn State, Florida, and LSU.

After their finish last season and depending on the Irish’s finish this season. Freeman could be linked to possible openings at Tennessee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and possibly the Giants.

As far as their current state, ninth-ranked Notre Dame has won seven straight - their latest a 49-10 pasting of Navy - and they have outscored their opponents, 284-101, in the process.

Notre Dame will travel to 23rd-ranked Pitt this weekend before they have their home finale against Syracuse and then finish the regular season at Stanford.

In the all-time series between the two teams, Notre Dame holds a sizable 50-21-1 advantage, and they won the last meeting, 58-7, in 2023. Over the years, there have been many memorable games between the two teams.

In 1976, Pitt’s Tony Dorsett ran for 303 yards in the Panthers’ 31-10 opening-game victory, and Pitt went on to win the National Championship with a 12-0 record under head coach Johnny Majors. In four seasons against Notre Dame, Dorsett ran for 754 yards, more than any other team.

The last time both teams were ranked and faced each other was in 20025 when Charlie Weis’s fifth-ranked Irish downed Dave Wannstedt’s 23rd-ranked Panthers, 42-21, in the season opener at Heinz Field, and ESPN’s College GameDay was present.

ESPN will be present at Acrisure Stadium Saturday.

The Irish will have an interesting 2026 schedule with home games against Stanford, SMU, Miami, Boston College, Rice and Michigan State. They will travel to Syracuse, Purdue, and North Carolina.

In addition, they will have three neutral site games against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field (Shamrock Series), against Navy at Foxborough, and against USC at a yet-to-be-determined site.

Oh, Mr., Bill: With Brian Daboll’s firing, speculation has begun that Bill Belichick will be a prime candidate for the Giants’ new head coach or an adviser.

Belichick isn’t expected to come back to North Carolina, and he always has held the Giants organization in high regard, dating back to his days as defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells.

Bringing on Belichick as the new coach or an adviser would be a plus. Belichick was the head coach and general manager in New England, and he could steer this ship back on course. Belichick’s age (72) would be a consideration for the workload, but he could groom a new coach in the future.

Topping Off: Here is one man’s view of the top five teams:

1. Colts (8-2) - They appear to for real and running back Jonathan Taylor is on his way to a 2,000-yard season. Indy has played a relatively weak schedule, but they have Kansas City, Seattle, and San Francisco ahead.

2. Patriots (8-2) - This is the Cinderella team that will likely win the AFC East. Quarterback Drake May is for real.

3. Rams (8-2) - Unless you’re a diehard fan, the Rams have quietly put together a banner season. If the Eagles don’t block the field goal attempt, they are 9-1.

4. Eagles (7-2) - They escaped Green Bay with a win after a questionable fourth-down call. Still, they may go on a run.

5. Seahawks (7-2) - Quarterback Sam Darnold again is having a stellar regular season. Can he reach the postseason Promised Land?

Bottoming Out: Here is one man’s view of the five worst teams (overall worst to fifth worst):

1. Titans (1-8) - Tennessee has shown some promise, but they still have a long way to go. They are heading to having the top pick again.

2. Browns (2-8) - They helped the Jets to their win with some stupid penalties at the end of the game. Besides Myles Garrett, there is little there.

3. Giants (2-8) - Quarterback Jaxson Dart is fun to watch, but can he survive a season with his reckless play? It’s a mess there with a horrible defense.

4. Saints (2-8) - Tyler Shough is the first Saints rookie to win a game since Dave Wilson in 1981. Tell me, honestly, if you remember Wilson.

5. Raiders (2-7) - It’s not coming up sevens in Vegas. Legendary head coach Pete Carroll is feeling his age.

Scrapbook: Each column, I will peep back the pages to briefly summarize the career of a local standout from our coverage area.

Jim Tkach was a member of Lehighton’s regular-season team in 1984, and he was an honorable mention All-State choice at linebacker. Tkach had initially chosen to attend the University of Scranton on a basketball scholarship, but he opted to play football at West Chester University (WCU).

While at WCU, Tkach lettered three seasons as a linebacker and long snapper for the Rams. His overall play earned him a tryout with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

After football, Tkach began a career as an exercise physiologist in Nashville before he relocated to Atlanta.

However, Tkach made a career change to teaching and coaching, moving to Milford, Delaware. He later was named head coach at Milford and led the Buccaneers to the Division II state championship.

Tkach also had coaching stops at Delaware’s Caesar Rodney, and Cape Henlopen. He was inducted in the Milford 12th Man Club, and their Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

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