Nick Sirianni Not Ready to Anoint Cam Jurgens the Starter at Right Guard, Yet
Nick Sirianni left the door open if only a crack when it came to Cam Jurgens and what has been widely assumed that he will be the right guard in the wake of Isaac Seumalo’s departure in free agency.
“You don’t have to get into the leader in the clubhouse at this particular point,” the Eagles head coach told reporters on Tuesday during the NFL owner meetings in Phoenix. “We’ll always see what we can do to play the best five that we have right there.”
The coach’s comments are notable since he left little doubt that another rookie from last year, safety Reed Blankenship, would take over as one of the backend’s starters.
“Yeah, I think Reed did a nice job last year of playing a lot of meaningful plays and starting games last year,” Sirianni said when asked if Blankenship would indeed be one of the starters at his position. “No doubt we have confidence in him.”
Blankenship had more snaps than Jurgens, and it’s not like the confidence isn’t there in him to step in at right guard.
The fact remains, though, that Jurgens was picked last year in the second round to be Jason Kelce’s eventual replacement, but Kelce’s game has not stalled even a little bit. The veteran center is playing some of his best football even as he makes the turn toward 40 when he marks his 36th birthday in November.
“Cam had a really good year of sitting behind one of the best players in franchise history, one of the best centers in the history of this game,” said Sirianni. “We’re obviously ecstatic to have Jason back. He does so much for this team on the field and off the field and leadership roles with his play. Cam will continue to learn from him. And sure, we’ll see what’s the best situation for Cam and for the tea, but we have a lot of confidence in Cam.
“And we’re excited that he can play multiple positions. So, to say ‘leader in the clubhouse’ at this particular time (to be the starting right guard), we still have a lot of things to go through before we have to make any decisions. We’ll see where we go with him, but excited that he’s on our team and that he adds major depth to our team.”
The coach mentioned Jack Driscoll’s ability to play guard and tackle.
What he didn’t mention was who else can play there, and maybe that piece will arrive in the draft someone like Ohio State’s Paris Johnson or Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. Both can play guard and both have good size, which is something Jurgens, who is 6-3, 290, doesn’t necessarily have to play guard.
Skoronski is 6-4, 313; Johnson is 6-6, 313.
Or maybe the Eagles have an interest later in the draft in Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence, who made 11 starts at right guard for Florida and eventually be crossed trained at tackle if necessary.
Torrence is 6-5, 330.
When Brandon Brooks was dominating at guard for the Eagles, he was 6-5, 335. The current left guard, Landon Dickerson, is 6-6, 333.
Height can be hidden at center, especially when you are as athletic as Jurgens and Kelce.
So, add right guard to the must-watch positions when the team reconvenes for OTAs in May.
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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
