Eagles Camp Storyline No. 9: No Jason Kelce, No Fletcher Cox...No Problem?

Jalen Hurts' leadership style as been questioned, but the Eagles have others who can step into the void left behind by the retirements of Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, whose absences will be difficult to quantify for a while.

Mar 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox greet Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – The countdown to Eagles training camp is on, with the report date of July 23 shimmering just ahead.

As always, there will be storylines as camp winds through the rest of the month and into August. So, between now and then, 10 will be revealed, one per day, beginning with No. 10 and working up to the top storyline.

No. 9: No Kelce, no Cox…no problem? (calling Jalen Hurts)

It’s difficult to quantify exactly what the retirement of Jason Kelce will do to the offense and Fletcher Cox to the defense.

Kelce started 156 straight games. He didn’t miss one since the middle of the 2014 season. Cam Jurgens won’t do that, so it will be important to see who the Eagles will use as his backup. Kelce is also a Hall of Famer. Jurgens isn’t that, either. Not yet, probably not ever, but we don’t know because he played out of position last year at right guard. Now, he will play the position he was drafted to play.

Kelce was the anchor of one of the best O-lines in the league, and camp should give us a glimpse if it will remain that way.

Cox’s presence alone made the defensive line a force. Though his skills diminished a bit over the years, he was still better than a lot of tackles in the league and was a mentor for a very young group, including Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Now, it’s the young guys’ turn.

With Kelce and Cox there was always the leadership they provided. This team has its share of leaders, even adding one in running back Saquon Barkley during the offseason.

It would help if Jalen Hurts could step into the void. Playing quarterback makes for natural leaders, but Hurts’ leadership – at least his style of leadership - has been called into question.

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The QB looks pretty good breaking down the pre-game huddles. He’s very vocal, very emotional, and very in-your-face.

When the game starts, though, he too often sits by himself on the bench. No teammates nearby, no pow-wows with coaches, no studying of an I-pad. There are times when he looks too aloof, too uninterested.

Everybody’s leadership style is different, and the Eagles don’t seem overly concerned with the eye test.

“There's not a book that is written on ‘this is how you lead,’” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “People lead in different ways. One thing I learned early about in leadership is that you have to be yourself, because if you lead and you're trying to be somebody you're not when you lead, that gets seen through

“Everybody has to lead their way, and Jalen has special qualities that people will follow, and people will want to follow. And he's got to do what he needs to do to lead in that way. Some people's leadership style is loud and aggressive; some people's leadership style is by example; and some it's a mixture of both. So, Jalen needs to lead how he needs to lead, right?”

Saquon Barkley is new to the Eagles, so he is only aware of what Kelce and Cox meant to the team after watching from afar the last six years with the New York Giants. He has, however, been around Hurts for most of the spring and during this quiet time before camp begins.

“Jalen’s solidified himself to me as a leader, vocally, with his work ethic and the way he’s able to bring guys together,” he said. “I’m super excited not only to play with him but all those guys. It’s a relatively young team but a lot of vets at the same time, too. I’m happy to be part of that and let my leadership grow within a role, too.”

Whoever steps into the leadership void, one thing is sure – it’s going to look a lot different around this team without Kelce and Cox.

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