Why Cam Jurgens is feeling at home even as he replaces a legend

It’s weird not having Jason Kelce at Eagles training camp.

Even though Kelce has been around the building a ton this offseason after his retirement, when the Eagles took the field this week to kick off camp, there was no 62.

And that’s going to take some getting used to.

But after a couple years of waiting his turn, Cam Jurgens is finally taking over for a legend. And he’s feeling at home at center, his more natural position.

“I feel a lot more comfortable being back there,” Jurgens said on Thursday. “The nice thing about being at guard last year, I wasn’t going up there and just worrying about my blocking assignment. I was still thinking like I was a center and what protections and what calls we were going to make and still going through my normal routine because it was so ingrained in me. It was kind of all I’ve done. 

“That aspect of it hasn’t changed as much. It’s a little bit like riding a bike, just we’re blocking 300-pound dudes.”

Jurgens, 25, surprised offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland a bit last year when he showed off his ability to play right guard. After what was basically a redshirt season as a rookie in 2022, Kelce decided to return for his 13th season and the Eagles had to replace Isaac Seumalo, who left in free agency. So they tried Jurgens in that spot last year and he played pretty well. But, really, that was like a bonus.

Because Jurgens has always been a center. It’s the position Jurgens played at Nebraska, it’s the position he played in his rookie training camp and it’s the position the Eagles drafted him to play when they used a second-round pick on him in 2022.

Now he’s finally back where he belongs. And he’s enjoying it.

“It’s a lot of hands on, it’s a lot of communication,” Jurgens said, explaining why he likes the position. “I just enjoy it because I love talking and getting everybody on the same page and communicating. Where at guard it’s a little less and it’s a little more physical. You have a little more physical challenges throughout a game than you might have at center.”

Even though he played guard last season, Jurgens said he hasn’t needed to change his weight. He was a bit undersized at guard last season but feels like he’s the right size to play center.

A big part of the center’s job is directing traffic up front. In recent seasons, a lot of the checks and protection calls at the line of scrimmage fell on Kelce because of his experience. Since Kelce’s retirement, quarterback Jalen Hurts said he wants to take a more active role in that area this season too.

It’ll be a collaborative effort between Hurts and Jurgens and others.

“I think we work on that every day,” Jurgens said. “It’s fun getting to meet with him and going through and seeing what he’s seeing and what I’m seeing and how we want to mesh and who wants to control what and how we can do it together. 

“This is a team, it’s a process and I don’t think anybody is going to have full control of anything. I think that’s how we want to run. Everybody is going to have a say and that’s great. This offense is fun to pick up and start to learn.”

While Jurgens didn’t play much in 2022, he actually got to be the Eagles’ first-team center for most of that summer. In training camp that year, Kelce needed an elbow scope, which led to valuable reps for Jurgens.

That experience is paying off now.

“I played center in college and I played center right when I got here and now I’m back at center,” Jurgens said. “So that helps being able to feel a bit of the game out and being able to play those preseason games and get along with the team. Jalen was the quarterback back then when I was playing center all throughout camp and now I get to go through another camp with him. And so that communication just kind of picks back up and evolves throughout camp. I think that helps a ton.”

Even though Jurgens looked pretty good during his rookie training camp, Kelce was back for the season opener and played 98% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in the Super Bowl season. But it was still valuable experience, as was Jurgens’ time at guard last year.

And that experience is showing up on the field.

How much better is Jurgens now?

“I feel like now he’s a lot more polished,” Lane Johnson said. “He had a year at guard. I thought he played really well. Going back to center, he’s very strong. Kelce did a very good job of scouting him, I think he helped. As far as his movement and athleticism, he’s got everything you want. Now it’s just about getting reps and building continuity and getting the playbook down.”

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