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

Why Cam Jurgens is feeling at home even as he replaces a legend originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-cam-jurgens-feeling-home-110000649.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-07-27 11:00:00

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