NEW ORLEANS – The goal every day, 365 of them each year, is to take a step forward. And for a football player to do that, a lot of people are involved in the nurturing, the growth, the many ways for that young man to improve.

Enter Connor Barwin, in his fifth season with the Eagles' front office after a 10-year playing career that included four seasons in Philadelphia. Barwin is the team's Head of Football Development and Strategy, a department that includes Vice President of Football Operations Jeff Scott, Player Development Assistant/Scout Patrick McDowell, and Player Development Assistant Matt Leo, and their collective job is to work with players on the roster and bring them along in a variety of ways.

Their work is not concentrated to their singular room, because all of the effort they put in is coordinated with departments throughout football operations and the entire organization.

Much of the focus is on the players who aren't getting a lot, or any in some cases, of time on the field on gamedays, the players who aren't getting the reps. How can they improve? What do they need to take the next step?

"Our role in many ways is to focus on 25 guys who don't play every single week," said Barwin, an All-Pro and Pro Bowl player in 2014 after leading the NFC with 14.5 quarterback sacks from his linebacker/edge position. "We want to make sure they're getting the same coaching, the same feedback, the same support that the 45 players that do play get. Position coaches, rightfully so, have much of their focus on the guys who are playing, so we're here to supplement them.

"Everyone is important and the team is trying to develop everybody. We are just trying to reinforce what Nick (Sirianni, head coach) and Howie (Roseman, Executive Vice President/General Manager) are saying at the top. It is hard in the NFL for players because you don't know when your opportunities are going to come. How do you continue to get better, when you don't know when it's going to come? Some guys, because of injuries, it happens quickly; for some guys, it can take years because a really good player is in front of them, but no matter if it happens quickly or not, if you aren't getting better, you won't be ready when it comes. It's also important to help players try and navigate where they can add value year in and year out because every team is different. When they figure out how to do something that helps the team, it's hard to move on, and they buy themselves time to keep getting better so they are ready when the opportunity comes."

One of the programs Barwin and the staff oversee is an onboarding weekend for the rookie class that includes their parents – providing education for anything and everything about playing in the NFL, playing in Philadelphia, the structure of the team, and an opportunity to speed up their learning curve.

It is a weekend for questions to be answered, for a big picture of how the Eagles and the NFL operate that is presented to the players and the parents.

That's just one weekend. This is a year-round program and the work truly never ends as the roster changes so often during a season and from one campaign to the next.

"Success for us is when guys get better," Barwin said. "It is all about getting better as a player, being a great teammate, and learning how to help the team. And that leads to winning football games, which is the ultimate goal."