Eagles' Cam Jurgens Wants To Be Himself As He Preps To Step Into Jason Kelce's Shoes

Philadelphia's Cam Jurgens won't try to be the next Jason Kelce, but simply focus on being himself

PHILADELPHIA - Cam Jurgens is the center. For now. Probably for the season.

Tyler Steen is to his right, at right guard. For now. Who knows about the season?

The Philadelphia Eagles are just a handful of days into Phase One of their offseason program, which began on April 15. Things are subject to change, especially with the NFL draft fast approaching and who knows what that will deliver to a roster that general manager Howie Roseman has done a good job of enhancing with a very active offseason.

“We’re all working together right now,” said Jurgens, entering his third season after being drafted in the second round in 2022. “Right now, we’re not too worried about it until we get to the season. Right now, it’s just kind of what can we do in the weight room, how can we get conditioned and what we can do to become better.”

Jurgens met with reporters on Wednesday.

“We have a really good O-line room in the fact that everybody is going to help and nobody’s too big,” he said. “It’s fun being in that room because nobody’s afraid to ask for help and nobody’s too big to give it. It’s fun being in a selfless room. We have a lot of really good dudes in there.”

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens (51) during

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

One of those really good dudes is gone. That, of course, is Jason Kelce, who returned in early March.

Kelce left some Hall of Fame shoes behind. Jurgens believes his feet will fit nicely, though walking in them will be challenging. He’s taking the proverbial one day at a time, one step at a time approach.

“At the end of the day just be myself,” he said. “I’m not trying to be somebody’s replacement or somebody’s next person. I’m just trying to be myself. Can I be the best football player I can be at wherever position they put me? That’s what I’m going to do. I’m not worried about anything else besides what I can control, and I think that’s all I gotta worry about at the end of the day.”

His aim is to keep things in perspective and not let the moment get too big.

“I think when you start putting it in those perspectives and those terms, people like to compare and you just put different things on your shoulders that you need to carry, and really it’s what can I do today, what can I do to learn, what can I do to get better and how can I be the best football player I can be?” he said. “It’s not how can I be what he was? What are we going to do tomorrow, that’s how I have to look at it.”

Jurgens was drafted for this moment. To be Kelce’s replacement. He was endorsed by none other than Kelce after watching volumes of tape on Jurgens from his playing days at the University of Nebraska.

He had the benefit of dipping his toes in the NFL waters last year at right guard, making 11 starts with a trip to injured reserve for a foot sprain sandwiched between those starts.

Jurgens believes that experience will benefit him greatly.

“Being able to play guard this last year and being able to be on the field, that’s going to help me more than anything,” he said. “Just getting the actual reps, being on the field, being next to guys so then like if I do step into that spot and whoever are the guards next to me, I can help them because I was in that spot.”

He figures to be in the center spot, which isn’t fully guaranteed, yet. If he is, he will simply try to be himself and find his way to fill Kelce’s XXXL shoes.

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