Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Cam Jurgens will have some big shoes to fill next season, but for now, he just needs to worry about taking care of his new locker.
Jurgens' locker was moved a spot over this week and his jersey will now hang where future Hall of Famer center Jason Kelce's once did.
“It does feel a little weird,” Jurgens told reporters on Wednesday. “Kelce’s gone and they moved my locker into his so, obviously, that’s a little weird. I went to the wrong locker a couple times and I’m like, ‘Oh man, this isn’t mine anymore.’ Getting used to things. But it’s fun getting back here and getting back into the groove of things.”
Last month at the NFL meetings, head coach Nick Sirianni was hesitant to name Jurgens the Eagles' next starting center but his locker move all but confirms that it was the plan all along.
When the Eagles selected Jurgens out of Nebraska with their second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kelce was far from surprised.
That's because Kelce played a scouting role in helping the Eagles hand-pick his future successor, calling Jurgens his "favorite player" to come out of that year's draft class.
Since being drafted, Jurgens has seen very little action at center, playing just 43 at that position while logging 709 snaps at right guard.
However, he believes that his overall in-game experience has prepared him for what's to come.
“At the end of the day, just be myself,” Jurgens said. “I’m not trying to be somebody’s replacement or somebody’s next person. I’m just trying to be myself. I’m trying to be the best football player I can be and whatever position they put me that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not worried about anything else but what I can control and I think that’s all I got to worry about at the end of the day.
"I think when you start putting it into those perspectives and terms and people like to compare, you just put different things on your shoulders that you need to carry. And, really, 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? And not how can I be what he was? What are we going to do tomorrow? That’s how I gotta look at it.”
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