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Tag: #Cam Jurgens

  • It’s too late to fix the Eagles’ offense

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    Barkley has been struggling all year, and the offensive line at this point is banged up and clearly isn’t as strong or as elite as it was. Hurts hasn’t been able to make up the difference with his arm, even with Smith, Brown, Goedert, and Jahan Dotson as his passing options, and with everyone underwhelming showing, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo only becomes a greater subject of Philadelphia’s scorn.

    Friday’s dismal effort reached a new boiling for that, but head coach Nick Sirinni said postgame that while they’re going to be evaluating everything in the days ahead, a change of offensive playcaller isn’t coming. 

    “I have confidence in the entire group,” Sirianni said. “I know it will keep coming back to Kevin, but if I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it’s a lot of different things. 

    “We all have a part of it. Kevin has a part of it, I have a part of it, all the coaches have a part of it, all the players have a part of it. You win and you lose as a team. It’s never one thing.”

    But if that’s the case, it might be too many and too late to fully fix them.

    The playoff race is taking clearer and clearer shape. The Eagles are still 8-4 after Friday, and leading the NFC, but Dallas is suddenly closer to them than they were after the Birds lost two straight and the Cowboys three straight. The Bears also improved to 9-3 and leapfrogged the Eagles for the current No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff standings, while claiming the statement win they’ve been looking for in a breakout year. 

    The Eagles? They’re still trying to figure out their offense at a point in the season when teams should know who they are, and after just barely scraping by for weeks with luck that might’ve just run out for them. 

    “I got confidence in this team,” Hurts insisted postgame. “I got confidence in us when we’re collaborative. I got a lot of confidence when we have an identity, so I think that’s the first thing we gotta establish.”

    But in the face of the same problems they’ve been saying they’ll get fixed all season, it might be too late for that now.

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    Nick Tricome

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  • How The Eagles Fared During The Bye Week – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    It feels good to finally have Eagles football, or practice, back for now. With an extra day off before a trip to Green Bay on MNF, the Eagles have had 15 days since their last game. 

    For a team that didn’t play last weekend, the Eagles came out huge winners of both the trade deadline, and the NFC Standings. 

    Trade Deadline Shopping

    While being rumored (again) to pay the price for Myles Garrett. The Eagles managed to escape the trade deadline without blowing any major capital, and still were able to take advantage of the Jets fire sale. 

    Michael Carter was acquired from the New York Jets alongside a 2027 7th round pick. The Eagles sent back WR John Metchie and a 2027 6th round pick. Acquiring depth in the secondary gives the opportunity to move Cooper DeJean outside and Carter into the slot. We’ll have to wait and see if Carter was acquired to get serious reps, or bolster a position recently tattered with injuries. 

    Jaire Alexander was traded from the Baltimore Ravens. Also coming to Philadelphia is a 2027 7th round pick. For the grand total of a 2026 6th round pick. This move provides the Eagles a 3rd option at CB2 between Kelee Ringo & Adoree Jackson, and still keeps Cooper DeJean in the slot. 

    Jaelan Phillips was the Eagles biggest move before the Tuesday deadline. Only costing a 3rd round pick, the Eagles acquired a 26 year old OLB that has totaled 26 sacks in 5 seasons. Missing time due to injury is a concern, but with multiple DL players returning this weekend the Eagles depth provides plenty of rotational options. 

    The Eagles escaped the deadline acquiring 3 players, and still hold 5 picks heading into the 2026 Draft next April. Including a Jets 3rd round pick and projected to acquire 3 Comp picks in the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds.

    Returning From Injury

    On top of their trade deadline additions to the team. The Eagles have also managed to get healthy just in time for another gauntlet in the schedule.

    Opening the practice window for Jakorian Bennett, Willie Lampkin and Nolan Smith in the previous weeks provided the Eagles time to juggle their active roster and the practice squad, with depth returning at the right time. 

    With A.J. Brown missing another game this season, add in a concern to Saquon’s health at the end of the Giants game prior to the Bye. There was major concern what the Eagles injury report would look like coming off the Bye week. 

    The good news is, nearly everyone has returned from injury as the following players were full participants

    • Moro Ojomo
    • Saquon Barkley
    • A.J. Brown
    • Jakorian Bennett
    • Nolan Smith
    • Willie Lampkin

    The only players who were DNP at Fridays practice were Adoree Jackson & Cam Jurgens. After giving Dickerson a few weeks of rest, perhaps Jurgens getting some extra time will allow the Eagles Offensive Line to return to being what it once was. The best in the league.

    A Successful Bye Week

    During the Bye, the Eagles jumped all the way up to the #1 seed in the NFC, as most teams that played managed to the Eagles a favor. 

    Even following the Giants game Week 8, the Eagles had some help from their NFC East Rivals. 

    • The Commanders lost 7-28 to the Chiefs and fell to 3-5
    • The Cowboys got blown out by the Broncos 44-24 and fell to 3-4-1

    In Week 9, the following teams helped the Eagles climb the standings 

    • The Vikings (4-4) held on to beat their division rival Lions 27-24(5-3)
    • Carolina (5-4) managed to upset the Packers and send them to 5-2-1
    • Seattle took care of business and sent Washington to 3-6 following a 38-14 rout
    • Jacoby Brissett gave us the icing on the cake, with a 27-17 win over the Cowboys. Sending the 2nd placed team in the NFC East to 3-5-1.

    With an opportunity to grow their lead on the division, and the rest of the NFC with a trip to Green Bay. Will the Eagles come out on top against a Packers team struggling to play their best football?

    Go Birds. 

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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  • What they’re saying: Quinyon Mitchell looked right at home in Eagles’ Week 1 win

    What they’re saying: Quinyon Mitchell looked right at home in Eagles’ Week 1 win

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    The Eagles are back in Philly, and now that we’re a few days removed from the 34-29 opening win over Green Bay down in Brazil, there’s been a good amount of time to process how Week 1 played out – from the good to the bad and the ugly. 

    Obviously, Saquon Barkley stole the show. Jalen Hurts had his moments, but then a few where he even admitted that he put the team in a bad spot. Zack Baun became one of the early unsung heroes, and Mehki Becton ran people over in the trenches, which all led into the Eagles holding on against the Packers, even if it was from pretty. 

    Now it’s on to Kirk Cousins and the Falcons on Monday night, and properly at home at the Linc. 

    But before the focus fully shifts to Atlanta, here’s a bit more of what they’ve been saying from Friday night in São Paulo…

    Welcome to the show

    Fran Duffy | PHLY

    Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was challenged all training camp with regular reps against DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, and we found out right away on Friday night if that work carried over into the real thing. 

    The Packers tested Mitchell immediately when Christian Watson took off streaking down the sideline and to the end zone. Jordan Love lofted up the big pass for his receiver, but Mitchell stuck to Watson the whole way, turned his head around to the ball, then watched it sail out of reach for an incompletion and to force a fourth down. 

    It was only his first NFL game, yet Mitchell looked and played like an established NFL pro who had been there for years.

    There was zero fear in his play, as Fran Duffy’s film breakdown highlights:

    It’s the chirping after, too, that really does it. Opposing offenses are going to hate this guy, hopefully for years to come.

    Here’s the torch

    Brian Baldinger | X (Twitter)

    Becton was wreaking havoc for the Packers in his Eagles debut, but so was Cam Jurgens on his left and finally at his natural position as a center. 

    Now, Jurgens did have the slip-up of an early snap that led right to a fumble to start, but he recovered pretty well from it after, creating space that opened up holes for Barkley to zip straight through and walls that provided Hurts with a clean pocket to find his passing lane. 

    Here’s Brian Baldinger breaking down Jurgens’ tape from Friday night:

    We’ve had a couple of years now to brace for Jurgens stepping in as the successor to Jason Kelce at center. The moment arrived Friday night, and so far so good for the most part.

    MORE: Smith in the slot, Hurts’ rushing ability, more Eagles thoughts

    No go in the red zone

    Reuben Frank | NBC Sports Philadelphia

    Two turnovers from the offense on the first two possessions, while pinned back deep in their own end, could’ve easily buried the Eagles Friday night had the Packers capitalized with some quick touchdowns. 

    But the defense stood tall, holding the Packers to just two field goals through the first quarter and only one touchdown for the game when Green Bay was within the red zone. 

    Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense did take up a lot of field, but when they were knocking on the door, the Eagles’ defense did pretty well to stop them short, as Rebeun Frank wrote in his observations:

    The Packers ran 20 offensive plays inside the Eagles’ 20-yard-line and netted 24 yards. Add in penalty yards and the Packers had seven net yards on 20 plays – about 12 ½ inches per play. Critically, the Eagles hounded Jordan Love into 0-for-3 passing on third down in the red zone (although Avonte Maddox’s DPI also came on third down) and Josh Jacobs ran six times for seven yards inside the 20. Last time the Eagles faced at least four red-zone drives and only allowed one TD was a 2022 win over the Steelers at the Linc (TD, INT, FG, FG). I thought Zack Baun in particular was tremendous down at the goal line. He’s credited with an incredible five of his 15 tackles inside the 20 alone. Obviously, you’re not going to win a ton of games giving up 414 yards and a bunch of big plays. But taut red-zone defense can overcome a lot of problems, and Friday night it sure did. [NBCSP]

    MORE: 10 awards from the Eagles-Packers

    Picking up the blitz

    Tim McManus | ESPN

    Hurts didn’t have an outright spectacular game under center, but in the end, he did enough to get the Eagles by, especially when it came time to drain a serious amount of clock late with a slim lead. 

    But one of the key points of interest going into Week 1 was seeing how well he would handle the blitz, because he struggled with it a ton last season. 

    After one game, it actually isn’t looking to bad, as Tim McManus noted over at ESPN:

    Hurts and the Eagles struggled against the blitz last season, but Friday’s performance offered promise that things could be turning around. Hurts was 6-of-8 for 91 yards and a touchdown against the blitz while also scrambling once for 8 yards and a first down. With center Jason Kelce retired, Hurts has assumed more of the protection responsibilities. He passed his first test. [ESPN]

    But there are many more to go.

    MORE: The early odds for Eagles-Falcons

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    Nick Tricome

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  • Could The Eagles Add To The Defensive Line? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Could The Eagles Add To The Defensive Line? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    The problem between the 2022 and 2023 Eagles defense. (Other than not being able to get a single stop most games). Was the change in production from the defensive line.

     

    From having four 10+ Sack players. (Reddick, Sweat, Hargrave & Graham)

    To only a single 10+ Sack player. (Reddick)

    The 2022 Eagles might’ve fallen short of the Bears 72 Sack record in 2022. But they were nowhere close to repeating that total, only recording 43 sacks last year. Ranking 20th league wide.

    There’s plenty of reasons as to what might have fully derailed the Eagles season. Giving up an average of 30.3 points in the final 6 games of the season, including a 32 point defeat to the Buccaneers in the Wildcard round. Somehow, the team that gave up the least passing yards in 2022, with an average of 171.6 yard against per game. Became the team that gave up the 3rd most, with 255.7 passing yards against in 2023.

     

    Overuse Down The Stretch

    The Eagles defensive line finished the season injured and not as deep as it started. After playing multiple overtime games, the Eagles were never the same following the win against Buffalo. Where the Defense played 95 Snaps, and what seemed like the point of no return for the season.

    Below is the DL and its share of snap counts across the season

    Player Total Snaps Snap % Snaps Played Vs Buffalo
    Haason Reddick 862 74.18% 83
    Josh Sweat 828 71.26% 81
    Fletcher Cox 684 58.86% 22
    Jalen Carter 563 48.45% 76
    Jordan Davis 519 44.66% 62
    Milton Williams 494 42.51% Missed Game
    Brandon Graham 395 33.99% 26
    Nolan Smith 188 16.18% 11
    Marlon Tuipulotu 162 13.94% 32
    Derek Barnett 99 8.52% Cut/Signed with HOU
    Kentavius Street 87 7.49% Traded To ATL
    Moro Ojomo 68 5.85% Missed Game

    Had the Eagles not over-relied on their starters and played more of their depth. Perhaps the major burnout at the end of the year would have saved them from not being able to get off the field. Add on the fact they traded away Street and Cut Barnett at the trade deadline. The Eagles defense was without 2 more players to pick up the snaps.

     

    This Years Additions

    Much like the last few seasons, the Eagles have successfully drafted players before their predecessor’s had retired. From Kelce to Jurgens. Cox to Davis/Carter.

    Now that the Eagles have gone and made acquisitions throughout the offseason. They’ve been able to add Bryce Huff, Jalyx Hunt and Julian Okwara to the OLB position. With the expectation Nolan Smith will also see a larger role in his 2nd season, similar to his fellow Bulldog teammates.

    But with countless DBs and only so many roster spots available. It feels like the Eagles further additions could come along the defensive line. (When haven’t they). Additions such as Genard Avery, Ndamukong Suh, Robert Quinn, Linval Joseph have all been acquired throughout the last few seasons.

    You can’t always prevent injuries, and if defense wins championships. Then depth could be necessary down the stretch. Could a name like Chase Young come up in a few months if the Saints finally blow it up? Or perhaps the Eagles go big game hunting and see if the Chargers are committed to a rebuild, and are interested in shopping Khalil Mack?

     

    There’s still a long way to go till the Week 9 Trade Deadline. But Eagles training camp begins next week, and then we’ll finally get our first taste of the Eagles season to come that is just around the corner.

     

    Photo Credit: Cooper Neill / Getty Images

     

     

     

     

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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  • Two Potential Breakout Candidates for the Eagles in 2024 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Two Potential Breakout Candidates for the Eagles in 2024 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    A new year is upon us, and the Eagles have many players who could make a leap forward. The outlook for this year’s squad is optimistic.

    Let’s take a look at some players who could have a breakout season.

    Jordan Davis

    Jordan Davis is entering his third season with the Eagles and is in a position to take a big step forward. With Fletcher Cox’s retirement, the Eagles will look to Jordan Davis for a bigger role.

    Davis is young, coming into this season at 24. He has had the benefit of learning behind Cox for two years, and now it’s his time to take over. Davis was seen at the Eagles Autism Challenge, where he looked noticeably thinner.

    Davis is a big guy, and his conditioning was always in question. This season, you can tell he is in better shape, and he is ready to embrace the role of a starting defensive tackle.

    Cam Jurgens

    Jurgens can break out for the same reason Jordan Davis can break out. His predecessor retired. Now that Kelce is gone, Jurgens will start at Center. The Eagles drafted Cam Jurgens, knowing he would be the guy once Kelce retired, and now his time has come. Jurgens played some right guard last year, so it will be interesting to see him transition back to center this upcoming season.

    Cam Jurgens has a ton of potential, and the Eagles are looking to him to be their center for the next 5-10 years. As fans, we can’t expect him to be Jason Kelce. Jurgens is his own person, and the hope is that he will be able to play center without having a huge drop-off in talent.

    Both Jordan Davis and Cam Jurgens have learned from some of the best players at their positions. It is time for them to step up and fill the roles they were drafted to fill.
    It is time for a new era of the Eagles inside trenches.

    PHOTO: Getty Images

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    Nate Schweitzer

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  • 3 Weeks From The Draft. Who Might The Eagles Take With Pick #22 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    3 Weeks From The Draft. Who Might The Eagles Take With Pick #22 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    With three weeks until the NFL draft.
    Rosters are beginning to take shape and some clear picks are beginning to show.

    With the Bears, Patriots and Commanders expected to take their QBs of the future. There will be a long way to go to see who might fall to the Eagles with the 22nd overall pick.

     

    While the Eagles have recently ended the conversation whether they would trade Reddick or Sweat. Another hole has opened in the depth of the roster.

    Sure the Eagles have already signed Bryce Huff to a $51M deal and have Nolan Smith waiting in the wings after only playing 188 defensive snaps in his rookie season. Barely seeing an increase in playtime after the Eagles had waived Derek Barnett prior to their Week 11 game against Buffalo. 

    Laiatu Latu – Edge, UCLA

    Re-filling the edge-rusher position after trading away Reddick, with Brandon Graham on his final season all while not knowing what you have in Smith and Huff is probably one of the best options for the Eagles at #22. Similar to drafting Davis and Carter in lieu of Hargrave and Cox departures in the last two seasons.

    The biggest area of concern regarding Latu is from a neck injury he suffered during a preseason workout in 2020. An injury that had the University of Washington medical staff refusing to medically clear him to continue playing.

    The Eagles have had multiple instances of drafting players with this warning, including Josh Sweat and Nakobe Dean. 

    If the Eagles don’t believe that Huff and Smith are able to take over enough of the defensive snaps. Bringing in Latu could be the final piece to a new defensive line. 

    NFL.com has multiple mock drafts with Latu going to the Rams at 19 and 24, as well as the Buccaneers at 26. He might fall perfectly within the Eagles range.

     

    Kool-Aid McKinstry – CB, Alabama

    After the disastrous end to the Eagles season. It’s clear a new CB might be needed on the roster. They’ve already gone and re-signed C.J. Gardner Johnson and now brought back Avonte Maddox as well.

    James Bradberry was “part of the plan” when Howie Roseman spoke at the combine, but things can always change by September.

    There’s plenty of available Cornerbacks in this draft. From Quinyon Mitchell, Nate Wiggins, Cooper DeJean and McKinstry are all projected to go in the late 1st round per NFL.com’s mock drafts. 

    Much like Latu. The Eagles may have to look at trading up if they wanted to go after Mitchell in the draft. However, if they wanted to move back in the 1st, McKinstry could be available past 22nd. Allowing the Eagles to regain assets later in the draft.

    With Bradberry and Slay still under contract for multiple seasons. The Eagles should be looking to drafting their predecessors like they have on the defensive line. Unless Eli Ricks or Kelee Ringo have breakout sophomore seasons, a long-term solution needs to be put in place alongside Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown in the secondary. McKinstry could be that answer, and could even allow them to trade Bradberry before the start of the season. Rumors have swirled about the Eagles landing Surtain from the Broncos, but I’d prefer to draft and acquire a starting caliber player still on a rookie deal.

     

     

    No Offensive Picks?

    The offence may not have been able to score at will last season. But the Eagles defense hemorrhaged yards and points beyond belief last year. Was it all on coaching?

    The Eagles have already gone and signed Saquon Barkley, DeVante Parker, Matt Hennessy and Parris Campbell plus more additions for the offense. Taking another day one defensive pick won’t hurt an offense that recently extended two players on the offensive line. With Mailata, Dickerson and Jurgens all under contract for multiple years. There’s multiple options for the Eagles to find a Right Guard late in the draft if Steen hasn’t won the starters spot.

    The Eagles will still have 7 draft picks following the 22nd pick. Where they’ve been able to make successful picks in the later rounds, including 2 more picks in the the top 60.

     

    Who do you have the Eagles drafting in the 1st round?

     

     

     

     

    Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today Sports

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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  • The Eagles Free Agent Frenzy – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Eagles Free Agent Frenzy – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    The Eagles had another grocery list of positions to fill this off-season.

    • Safety (or 2)
    • Linebackers (multiple)
    • Wide Receivers (multiple)
    • Running Back (or 2)
    • OL Depth

    They had already made a few moves to shore up some depth and competition in the roster. See more of the previous moves like Okwara and Kinnard here.

    If you had told me that the Eagles would cross off most of that list within the first week of free agency. I would assume most of the players were cheap acquisitions who might not even make the 53 man roster. But by end of day Thursday, the Eagles have started the off-season impressively.

    Let’s recap the moves they’ve made since Wednesday.

     

    Division Rival Betrayal

    The Eagles began the legal tampering period with some of the best news. And later finalized a 3-year, $37.75M deal with Saquon Barkley.

    This should be the 3rd year in a row Eagles end up with a 1,000+ yard player in the backfield. From Sanders, to Swift and now Barkley, who put up 962 rushing yards in only 14 games with the Giants this past season. While the Giants had started Tyrod Taylor, Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito for equal amounts of the season. Saquon was in a similar situation to Christian McCaffrey, and should now make as much an impact on the Eagles as McCaffrey has to the 49ers offense.

    With only a $3,950,000 cap hit in 2024. Barely costing the team as they continued to spend their available cap space…

     

     

    Shopping From Both Sides Of MetLife

    There was one more stop the Eagles had to make while they were scooping players from MetLife Stadium.

    Signing Bryce Huff to a 3-year, $51M contract is a big price to pay for a defensive end who only played 42% of the defensive snaps. Compared to Sweat at $13.3M and Reddick at $15M, who both played over 70% of the Eagles defensive snaps. But with Huff putting up 10 Sacks last year for the Jets, this signing feels similar to when they signed Haason Reddick 2 seasons ago.

    So could this be a signing to replace one of the expiring Sweat or Reddick deals? Or utilizing the $30M jump in cap space to re-invest on the defensive line? We won’t know for now, but this Josh Sweat instagram comment might be a hint of what could still be to come.

     

    Addressing The OL

    Every year, there’s plenty of people online who scream into the void “The Eagles should use their Day 1 pick on an offensive lineman”

    I’m here to tell you they probably won’t do that, again.

    The Eagles had plenty of players depart from the Offensive Line. From Kelce’s retirement to no news on Sua Opeta or Jack Driscoll. But they’ve already gone and signed Darian Kinnard, and now Matt Hennessy.

    With 20 starts in Atlanta over the last 3 years, the former Temple Owl will make his way back to Philadelphia. Having played center and left guard in Atlanta. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Hennessy is viewed as a backup piece, but can bring competition for both Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen during training camp.

    While this is only a 1 year deal, it probably keeps the Eagles from using a high round pick in the draft on the offensive line. If they’re truly building for the future they could use a 2nd or 3rd round pick, like they have in the last two drafts.

     

     

     

    Finally, Some Linebackers!

    There’s one position the Eagles desperately needed to invest in this off-season. And it took awhile for these moves to come through but they’ve made them.

    Adding 2 linebackers in the opening week of free agency is steps ahead of the linebackers the Eagles were acquiring last year.

    Nicholas Morrow was the only free agent move in March for a LB, and Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack weren’t signed until August.

    Devin White, a former Pro-Bowler and All-Pro had 83 tackles last year, including 2.5 Sacks and 2 Interceptions.

    While Zack Baun had 30 tackles, 2 Sacks and 1 Interception.

    Many may not approve of the White deal, but with plenty of time to make final roster decisions and the draft still a month away. White and Baun are better moves than the Eagles have seen at LB in some time. (We all remember Nate Gerry, right?)

     

    A Reunion In Philly

    Maybe this is what was missing from the Eagles secondary in 2023.

    C.J. Gardner-Johnson didn’t see plenty of playing time in Detroit, With a Week 2 injury that saw C.J. out until week 18. The reacquainted Safety still had 2 Interceptions across his 6 total games in Detroit, 3 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs.

    Some wanted Justin Simmons to fill the void in the secondary left by Byard, but after some apologies, many are on board with this addition.

     

    The New WR3 In Town

    With Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus set to be free agents, the Eagles had to bring in multiple new faces for new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

    And they did.

    While DeVante Parker’s separation numbers are the worst in the league. The Former Patriot still had 539 and 394 yards during his 2-year stint with Mac Jones at QB (And Matt Patricia at OC).

    Not bad numbers to fill in a WR3 role that Watkins and Zaccheaus didn’t come close to last year. Sure the offense struggled under Brian Johnson, there’s still bright things to expect with new faces on this team with new coordinators and schemes being put in place this off-season.

    There’s still 1 more open WR spot on the roster that could be addressed in the draft or re-signing Zaccheaus. And with the Eagles only paying $1.2M of Parker’s deal, there’s no guarantee he makes the final roster cut in August either.

     

     

     

     

    The Eagles have already made plenty of moves signing new faces to the team, who are you hoping they’re still able to add before the draft?

     

    Go Birds!

     

     

    Photo Credit: Matt Rourke / AP Photo

     

     

     

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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  • Jason Kelce’s Replacement is Ready – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Jason Kelce’s Replacement is Ready – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Tears are still streaming from Jason Kelce’s eyes as I write this. Hell, if not for the benefit of typing on a keyboard, half this paragraph would be smudged by my own self-made waterworks. On Monday afternoon, the Eagles’ captain announced his long-awaited retirement before a crowd of family, friends, and press.

    If you haven’t watched it yet, take a look:

    The announcement hardly comes as a surprise, as the center had been expected to retire for multiple years now. Jason Kelce leaves behind a Hall of Fame career as a 7-time Pro Bowler, a 6-time All-Pro, and most importantly, a Super Bowl Champion.

    Take a moment and relive… The Speech™

    However, I don’t like to live in the past – that’s where all my exes are – and as such, I am here to talk about the future:

    All-Pro Jason Kelce suggests Bills player attempted injury Eagles teammate during 'tush push' | Fox News Cam Jurgens (left) and Jason Kelce (right)

    Cam Jurgens

    Jurgens IS the next Jason Kelce. He was drafted out of Nebraska in the 2nd round, 51st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, joining Jordan Davis as the Eagles’ second selection. Much like Kelce, Jurgens stands just 6’3” – short for a center – but with over 20 pounds of mass on his predecessor. Not only that, Jurgens’ 40-yard dash time was just 0.03 seconds longer than the famously-quick Kelce.

    Jurgens’ 2022 Draft profile hailed his speed, toughness, and durability, while critiques focused on his lack of size and mass – things Jurgens has made up for with core strength. In fact, he earned a score of 99 (1st overall in his draft class) for “athleticism,” according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

    Sound familiar? That’s because he IS Jason Kelce 2.0

    Don’t believe me? Take it up with Kelce. The now-retired Eagles legend hand-picked Jurgens, telling Philadelphia scouts and media alike that “of all the centers that have been compared to me… this is the guy. It’s him.”

    There is a chance the team finds a center in the draft as well, and Jurgens has plenty of time to continue developing at just 24-years-old. After all, Jason Kelce’s first Pro Bowl season didn’t come until he was 30 years old! But if Howie Roseman is looking for the next great anchor of the offensive line, Jurgens is primed for the job.

    Photo via Eric Hartline, USA TODAY Sports

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    Will Connell

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