Eagles Coach Praises Cam Jurgens, O-Line: 'We're One Step Ahead'

Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is experimenting with different combinations to determine his best eight gameday linemen

PHILADELPHIA – Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland took a break from his professor duties at Stoutland University to talk about his o-line on Friday morning.

Of course, it was a session dominated by talk of Cam Jurgens and his bid to win the starting right guard job. Nobody will admit it officially, but Jurgens has a stranglehold on the starting spot and will be the new cog in the machine that is the Philadelphia Eagles elite offensive line.

“I think he’s done well,” said the man his players affectionately refer to as Stout. “It’s all new for him. I really want to see the consistency. It’s very early, we’re still watching, we’re still coaching, we’re still evaluating, and I like what he’s doing. I really do. 

"I think he’s doing a good job, but he has to stay consistent, and it has to be every day.”

Stoutland even went as far as to call a timeout in the middle of one question to bring up Brandon Brooks, the man-mountain who played six seasons in Philly and worked at right guard on the Eagles’ Super Bowl team before retiring following the 2021 season.

“I know we talked about Brooks before, but one thing you didn’t realize about Brandon Brooks is he has tremendous feet,” Stoutland said. “He’s a great athlete. Great foot and body quickness. Cam has that.”

For Stout, it’s not so much figuring out the starters because they are firmly in place, it’s about getting the backup combinations right.

“If you’re not a starting player right now, you have to have swing value or you won’t be one of the eight players we take to the game,” he said.

So, he has given rookie Tyler Steen reps at both guard and tackle and has moved Jurgens from guard to center on occasion to keep him sharp at a position that will be his when Kelce eventually retires and, maybe, if something were to happen to Kelce during the season.

“I feel like I’m somebody that’s pretty versatile and I’ve played all across the line before, so it doesn’t really bother me that much,” said Steen. “It’s just been a learning experience.”

Dennis Kelly, who said that he played guard maybe five times since leaving Philadelphia in a trade after the 2015 season, is even popping up at guard in addition to getting tackle reps.

“Nutritionally, I think he’s done a great job taking care of his body and that’s what I’m trying to find out right now, like how does he fit, how well does he move his feet, can he block the edge as a tackle, is he a better right tackle or left tackle?" said Stout about the veteran Kelly, entering his 12th NFL season. "I can’t answer all these things now. We just started really.”

The Eagles are expected to add another piece to the O-line mix after Josh Sills was cleared of raping and kidnapping charges on Friday. He will join the team, per an Eagles statement on the situation.

pic.twitter.com/yzfDESZh6e

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 4, 2023

Sills was an undrafted free agent a year ago who the organization liked enough to keep on the 53-man roster instead of Jack Anderson and Kayode Awosika.

Anderson was claimed by the New York Giants and played 12 games with two starts last year while Awoskia was picked up by the Detroit Lions, for whom he played 10 games with two starts.

"We lost some good players last year that were here, so to be able to find out the position swing value of a player, to be able to do things now, early before the stuff really starts, is extremely valuable," said Stout, referring more to starter Isaac Seumalo and swing tackle Andre Dillard

"You know how we’ve done it around here, we don’t wait for that. We build our depth, we get our people where we need to have them and then, if something were to occur, we’re way ahead. We’re one step ahead of it."

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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