Howie Roseman made one thing clear this week. The Philadelphia Eagles are committed to keeping their young defensive core intact for the long haul. The Jalen Carter extension is done, and now the conversation shifts to what comes next for a defense loaded with homegrown talent. Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt. The names keep stacking up, and so do the future price tags. But Roseman isn’t flinching.

The Eagles general manager delivered a message directly to the fanbase about the team’s intentions, and it’s one worth paying attention to.

Roseman said the priority was always getting the Carter deal done, and he made it clear the process was never going to leak into preseason or training camp. It was never a concern, according to Roseman. And when it came to the bigger picture of keeping this defense together, he didn’t mince words.

“I would say to our fans, if you’re wearing a jersey with some of those guys’ names on the back of it, we fully intend to keep them for a long, long time,” Roseman said.

Roseman will do whatever it takes to protect the defense

That’s a bold statement from a GM who has never been afraid to make tough decisions. And I think we all know what “whatever it takes” could mean. If that means having to trade A.J. Brown or make another big move on the offensive side of the ball, we’ve already seen where the priority lies. The defensive side of the roster has gotten the lion’s share of investment, and for good reason. Vic Fangio is one of the best defensive coordinators in football. He won’t be here forever, but the talent he’s working with right now is special, and the Eagles built that talent through the draft. That’s the whole philosophy.

I think it also sends a strong message to the other guys in that locker room. When you work hard, when you play well, when you improve year over year, you’re going to get rewarded. You can’t keep everybody, but a lot of the main chess pieces on this defense are getting paid. Carter is just the latest example.

Moro Ojomo’s future could be the toughest call

Now, one guy who could eventually be on the outs is defensive tackle Moro Ojomo. Vic Fangio summed it up with a laugh, saying he needs to save some money for him too. It was a joke, but there’s truth underneath it. Roseman has already dished out $328 million to three players on the defensive line with Jordan Davis, Carter, and edge defender Jonathan Greenard. The Greenard situation is its own question mark at this point, but you had to keep your young guys intact. Davis and Carter continue to get better every year.

Ojomo is one of those pieces who could become expendable. Not because of his own faults, but because the Eagles have just drafted too well. You don’t have unlimited money to spend. So this could be a very telling year for Ojomo in terms of his future in Philadelphia. He’s going to be motivated and he wants to earn that next contract. Fangio joking around about it tells you the coaching staff sees it too. You have to find a way to keep as many of these young chess pieces as you can, and like Roseman said, that is going to be the priority.

Quinyon Mitchell’s mindset

We know Philadelphia is going to have to pay Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. And I loved Mitchell’s mindset on the entire payday conversation. When asked about the money coming his way, he kept it simple.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Mitchell said. “We appreciate it, but we gotta come out here every day and do our job to the best of our ability.”

I have honestly run out of great things to say about Quinyon Mitchell. His play on the field speaks for itself. He’s a lockdown No. 1 corner only a few years into the NFL and already an All-Pro. But this guy’s mentality, his willingness and desire to be great, and his leadership ability are going to pay dividends for this franchise for the next however many years he’s here. His intangibles speak volumes. Having Mitchell on this defense just makes everything feel different.

So far the defense has been the clear-cut winner of training camp through the first couple days. Reporters who have been on the scene shared what he’s seeing from the first two days of practice.

That’s not a bad offense against them, it’s just the defense being that great. The linebackers have been awesome, the secondary is on fire. If this defense stays healthy, it has a chance to be one of the best units in football.