You might look at the Eagles massive free agent haul and think that general manager Howie Roseman is finished.

The reality is, Roseman is likely just getting started.

Even after doling out contracts this week worth as much as $250 million to six free agents and five extensions to current players, the Eagles should still have plenty of room to do more.

Maybe not tomorrow, or next week. But the cash-strapped Chargers, for example, had to release star wide receiver Mike Williams on Wednesday to get down to the salary cap threshold.

It's easy to picture Roseman crunching numbers to see if he could fit Williams in. Or maybe he's figuring out a way to trade for a backup quarterback like the Bears' Justin Fields, who's entering the final year of his rookie contract with a $6 million cap hit.

Or how about cornerback Xavien Howard, who was also released Wednesday?

Any one of those moves, or other ones, are possible for the Eagles. Certainly another big-name player could shake free in the coming weeks. Remember, the Eagles didn't sign cornerback James Bradberry until May 2022, when the Giants released him.

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That's because Roseman plans for things like that, but it requires patience. The Bears, for example, are reportedly trying to trade Fields so they can draft a QB with the No. 1 pick.

But maybe the offers aren't to the Bears' liking. So they wait. And as they do, the price goes down over time. Maybe other teams have already spent their cap money by that point.

Not Roseman. He has always looked at free agency as the start of a long player-acquisition process that lasts all the way through the trade deadline at the end of October.

Sure, the Eagles did their share of pouncing when the new league year officially began at 4 p.m. Wednesday. They signed running back Saquon Barkley (3 years, as much as $37.8 million), safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (3 years, $33 million) and defensive end Bryce Huff (3 years, $51.1 million).

The Eagles also signed some lower-cost players in wide receiver DeVante Parker, offensive lineman Matt Hennessy and linebacker Zack Baun.

Roseman also gave out contract extensions to left guard Landon Dickerson (4 years, as much as $87 million) and kicker Jake Elliott (4 years, $24 million), making both the highest-paid players at their positions. In addition, they brought back some of their own free agents in edge rusher Brandon Graham, punter Braden Mann and long snapper Rick Lovato.

All of that might seem like it ate up just about all of the Eagles' cap space. But more likely, it hasn't, once the bonus money, voidable years, and so on are factored in.

And as you may have noticed, the Eagles haven't addressed cornerback yet, or linebacker other than signing Baun, who's more of a core special teams player. And they could use some depth at defensive tackle with Fletcher Cox announcing his retirement this week.

It's just a question of how Roseman goes about addressing those needs. If it's not free agency, well few GMs can match Roseman's proclivity to trades. And if it's not that, there's always the draft where the Eagles have a first-round pick and two second-rounders.

Let's back up for a minute.

Why would the Eagles even have money left after all of their spending to start free agency? One would have to assume that Roseman structured the contracts much like he did when Jalen Hurts signed his massive 5-year extension, worth as much as $255 million last April.

At the time, it was a record contract whose average annual value was $51 million per season. That $51 million would represent about one-fifth of the $242 salary cap this season.

Yet Hurts will only count $13.6 million on the Eagles' cap in 2024. Compare that to the Cowboys, whose cap hit this season for Dak Prescott is $59.5 million. They had to watch star players like running back Tony Pollard and left tackle Tyron Smith become free agents, among others, while not signing anyone of significance so far.

Or the Cleveland Browns, where Deshaun Watson will count $64 million on the cap. Or the Broncos, where Russell Wilson will count $35 million this year and $55 million next year NOT to play for Denver.

Hurts, meanwhile, doesn't come close to Watson's or Prescott's cap hit until 2029, when it goes from $47 million in 2028 to $97 million. At that point, Hurts will be only 31 years old. The Eagles can restructure Hurts' deal to lower that amount significantly, or cut ties with no dead cap money.

But here's where Roseman can still do something major after June 1. The Eagles have reportedly let it be known that they're willing to trade edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat. If they trade both after June 1, they'll create a combined $20 million of cap space.

That can certainly buy another key player or two.

So don't look at this big haul to start free agency as an ending for the Eagles to reload the roster. Consider it a very promising beginning.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Eagles free agent haul can lead to Mike Williams, Justin Fields?