Eagles News: Encouraging signs from Cam Jurgens

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles practice observations: Jalen Hurts a plus-one factor in run game; Cam Jurgens in space; conditioning at the forefront – InquirerWhen Hurts takes off on a scramble and motors into the secondary it can draw “oohs” and “ahhs” from fans at camp, but his red jersey affords him the comfort of running without fear. But there was a designed run that warranted excitement because it showcased a pulling Cam Jurgens. The Eagles have seen that athleticism from the center since his rookie camp when then-starter Jason Kelce was sidelined following elbow surgery in 2022. But it must be nice to know that the “get Kelce in space with a head of steam” plays won’t have go following his retirement. Jurgens picked off a defender to clear a path for Hurts, as did left tackle Jordan Mailata. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland calls it his “pizza theory” with linemen divvying up blocks like pieces of pizza. Later on, Jurgens jumped ahead of Saquon Barkley and as they sauntered into the second level, the running back grabbed his center and they ran together arm in arm.

Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Depth chart and position battle updates – BGNJALEN HURTS UPDATE: A lot more of the same we saw from Hurts on Day 1, which is important. Gotta stack those good days. Hurts has been very efficient; the ball has rarely hit the ground. He’s been very decisive as both a passer and a runner. Hurts’ average time to throw sped up from 2021 to 2022 but then regressed back to pre-2022 levels in 2023, so, it’s been good to see him making quicker decisions and not holding onto the ball for forever. Now presumably healthier than he was last year, Hurts looks a lot faster than the last time we saw him play. That’s been apparent when he’s been running away from pressure and also when he’s taken off upfield. Hurts’ most noteworthy completion came in 7-on-7 when he dropped the ball in the bucket to A.J. Brown for an over-the-shoulder catch along the right sideline with Darius Slay trailing in coverage.

Training Camp Day 2 Practice Report With ESP And BLG – Go Birds PodcastEliot Shorr-Parks and special guest Brandon Lee Gowton sit down after Day 2 of Eagles training camp to talk about what they saw on the field.

6 takeaways from Eagles DC Vic Fangio’s interesting Thursday press conference – PhillyVoice#JimmySays: The Eagles signed Huff this offseason to a hefty three year, $51.1 million contract ($17+ million per season). That’s a lot of money for a player the defensive coordinator doesn’t think is ready yet to play on run downs. Still, Huff had double-digit sacks in 2023, and he looked impressive doing so. PFF had Huff down for an astronomical 67 pressures on just 334 pass rush snaps in 2023. Getting pressure on the quarterback is by far the most important skill for an edge rusher, and Huff can do that. But obviously it’s concerning if he can’t be a three-down player at his price tag.

Eight of the Big Questions Facing NFL Teams as Training Camp Begins – The RingerWhat can Kellen Moore do to fix the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive woes? While all the hand-wringing in Philadelphia about head coach Nick Sirianni’s job security at the end of last season feels overblown to me, there’s no underselling how thorough the collapse that closed 2023 was and how much pressure Sirianni is facing this season. Sirianni is on his third set of coordinators in as many seasons, and all the change puts even more weight on quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will be running a new offense under Kellen Moore. There are some things Moore shouldn’t change, like using Hurts as a designed runner or taking multiple shots downfield to wide receiver A.J. Brown. What I’ll have my eye on throughout camp and the preseason is how well Hurts can manage adjusting protections and getting the ball out quickly and efficiently against blitzes—things that were critical to the offenses Moore previously ran with Dak Prescott in Dallas and Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. If Hurts can find the answer to pressure in this offense, expect a big year for slot receiver DeVonta Smith. When Moore was calling the offense for the Chargers last season, wide receiver Keenan Allen was second in slot targets and third in yards against blitzing defenses. The prior year in Dallas, with Moore as a play caller, CeeDee Lamb finished second in both categories.

Why Devin White started a group chat with Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown – NBCSPAs Devin White prepared to return to Philadelphia for his first training camp with the Eagles, he sent out a text message to new teammates Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. White labeled the group chat “Accountability.” “I just sent them an empty glass, a picture of an empty glass,” White said after Thursday’s practice. “And before they could text back, I just said, ‘Hey, let’s pour into it every day.’ One day at a time, just pour into it. That’s kind of how we started and then everybody chimed in and gave some food of knowledge and we just went from there.” White, 26, is beginning a new chapter in the NFL after spending the first five years of his career with the Buccaneers. After the Bucs drafted him at No. 5 overall back in 2019, White experienced plenty of highs in Tampa with a Pro Bowl appearance and a Super Bowl victory but he had plenty of lows too, including falling out of favor and getting benched last season. For White, his one-year deal with the Eagles offers a chance at a fresh start in a new city.

Eagles Training Camp Notebook: May the best players win – PE.comKickoff drills happened next, as the team convened at midfield to go over coverage responsibilities and work on vice tackling technique (where two defenders converge on a ball carrier together at the same time). Later in the drill, the team stepped it up and notch with full game speed running downfield. Any guesses on who was the first cover man to reach the ball carrier? Josh Jobe. The young corner has made a name for himself on special teams in his first couple of seasons in Eagles green, and that figures to continue here in 2024. Another team session starts and another young defensive lineman gets into the fray as second-year pass rusher Nolan Smith got to Hurts twice on one play. A quick pressure early forced Hurts off his spot and then as he rolled right Smith’s persistence showed up in pursuit. Like Carter, I’m excited to see Smith’s development in his second year in Philadelphia.

Ranking top NFL prospects: Best under-the-radar players – ESPN+Honorable Mentions: Sydney Brown, SS, Philadelphia Eagles.

Dak Prescott says he wants to be with Cowboys but ‘all the other great QBs played for other teams’ – Blogging The BoysPeyton Manning felt like the first one. Obviously he wasn’t literally, but he felt like it. Seeing a quarterback who seemingly “belongs” to one franchise suit up in another uniform never feels quite right. Obviously Manning eventually won a Super Bowl with his second team, the Denver Broncos, (it never felt right seeing DeMarcus Ware there either) and Tom Brady lifted the Lombardi Trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They may be the exceptions, but looking around the NFL it isn’t hard to find other longtime quarterbacks in similar boats. Aaron Rodgers obviously plays for the New York Jets. To a different degree Russell Wilson is now on his third team in the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is weird getting used to seeing Kirk Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons, also his third squad. You get the point. Quarterbacks can change teams and life will go on which seems to be a sentiment that Dak Prescott is not afraid to embrace.

New York Giants training camp, Day 2 takeaways: ‘Mad scientist’ tinkering with offense – Big Blue ViewWhen I asked him about Daboll after practice, tight end Lawrence Cager called the head coach a “mad scientist” when it comes to cooking up offensive schemes. The mad scientist has been scheming like crazy the first two days of training camp. We have seen all sorts of motion from Giants’ receivers and running backs. We have seen a plethora of reverses and jet sweeps. We saw a direct snap to a back on Thursday. We even saw an unbalanced line with left tackle Andrew Thomas moving across the line next to Ezeudu at right tackle. I remember Daboll as a first-year head coach talking about having to remember that while he had been in the offensive system being installed for a number of years, that was obviously not the case for his players. He now has a quarterback in his third year in the offense, along with a number of other players who have been around since the beginning of Daboll’s time as head coach. I asked Daboll on Thursday if some of the “bells and whistles” we are seeing are because of the fact that the offense is no longer new to his quarterback and many of the other players.

NFL training camp: Najee Harris, Jack Conklin among veterans who could lose starting roles in 2024 – NFL.comGARDNER MINSHEW: There simply aren’t that many true quarterback battles around the NFL heading into camp, with the majority of competitions featuring bridge QBs trying to hold off rookies. In Las Vegas, though, we have a legit duel between two interesting but flawed quarterbacks: Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. Now, Minshew is the newcomer to this equation as an offseason signee, and if he emerges as the starter, he’d actually be displacing O’Connell, who started 10 games for the Raiders as a rookie last season. But Minshew is still the more established veteran, and backing up O’Connell would mark a definite step down after he started 13 games (and earned a Pro Bowl nod) for the Colts in 2023. Not to mention, Vegas gave him pretty good money on a two-year, $25 million contract. Minshew clearly has the stronger body of work as a pro, with 37 NFL starts over five seasons. He actually offers a decent floor, generally keeping his interceptions low, flashing some running ability and keeping plays alive with his never-quit approach. But that reads more like the template for a higher-quality backup than a full-season starter.