Eagles could benefit from a larger dose of Cam Jurgens

As the Philadelphia Eagles turn the page from Week 4’s win and prepare for a trip out west to face the Arizona Cardinals, it’s hard to contain the excitement that stems from a 4-0 start. There’s also a thirst for seeing some of the young guys on the field and producing, particularly the rookies. That brings us to Cam Jurgens.

There’s some theory that he’d be of greater benefit if he was on the field and producing in some capacity. Just ask 94 WIP-FM’s Jon Ritchie. He’ll tell you.

In some ways the idea makes sense, but the Birds’ starting lineup along the offensive line has been set for a while, and seeing as how Kelce never gets injured, there didn’t appear to be any way of getting him on the field.

Then it happened. Isaac Seumalo got injured in Week 4 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Surely, we’d see Jurgens then, right? Nope Sua Opeta was inserted into the lineup.

Now, Sua’s no slouch, and he’s more advanced at this point. Still, you have to admit that the idea of slotting Cam Jurgens at right guard is enough to make the mouth water, but those are our theories. How do the Eagles’ coaches feel about this?

Nick Sirianni gives us an update on Cam Jurgens’ development.

Ahead of the Eagles’ Week 5 game versus the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Nick Sirianni was part of a Monday afternoon sit-down with the media. Cam Jurgens’ name came up again (keep in mind the fact that we’re still unaware of whether or not Isaac Seumalo can play in Week 5). On the topic of Jurgens, Coach said the following.

"Cam’s spending a ton of his time learning with Jason and with Stout (offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland) as far as the center position. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t getting some cross-training at guard. He definitely is. Sua’s played a lot of good football for us at guard. Sua started in a playoff game… We’ve got a lot of faith in both of them, and just right now, at this particular time, Sua’s the next man up at the guard position. Sometimes you do that because of the amount of reps (and the) amount of time the guys are getting (at the position), but that’s what (we feel is best at this) particular time."

Philly’s 2022 second-round draft selection didn’t win a ton of popularity contests when first added. To some, it seemed the acquisition of Jason Kelce’s successor could wait, especially seeing as how there were, at that juncture of the draft, needs that were more pressing (and an undrafted Nakobe Dan still on the board).

Jurgens’ addition came with a bit of back-and-forth, but that calmed a little later during the selection meeting’s second day when the Eagles still managed to land Dean in Round 3 (and James Bradberry post-draft). Then, we saw Jurgens play during the preseason. It understandably didn’t take long for the excitement to grow.

Perhaps the best part of all of that is this. The Eagles have depth along their offensive line. In Week 4, when Jack Driscoll was called upon, he was ready. So was Sua, and at some point, when it’s time for Cam to make his mark, we trust he’ll be ready too.

It doesn’t get much better than having a future Pro Football Hall of Famer as a mentor and the best offensive line coach in the game as a teacher. You can trust and believe that, at some point, the wait will be worth it. We’re just going to have to be patient for the time being.