Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media on Monday following a 34-31 nail-biting victory in overtime. It was an ugly one against a division rival but championship teams need to get ugly wins under their belts. It is what it is.
More urgently, the Eagles suffered a major injury along their vaunted offensive line. Starting right guard Cam Jurgens suffered a foot sprain and an MRI revealed that the second-year player will miss several weeks. Sirianni confirmed the injury to Jurgens and then explained the plan for the position moving forward. Sua Opeta is the next man up, not Tyler Steen.
“I would say Cam is going to be week to week. We’ll see. I get you more information as we know more,” Sirianni told reporters. “I don’t think there’s any secret, I think you see where we lie now between Sua and Tyler, you know Sua has been up and Tyler has been inactive, and so Sua would be that next man up.”
When asked how Opeta graded out in Sunday’s game, Sirianni wasted no time heaping praise on the veteran guard. Ditto for All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson who let the coaching staff know just how impressive Opeta played against Washington.
“I thought he played outstanding yesterday,” Sirianni said. “I think we all felt that in the game and then you watch it on tape and you verify that and confirm that. And Lane came up to me in the locker room after the game — and Lane played outstanding also — and Lane came up to me after the game and he was just singing the praises of Sua.”
Eagles Place Britain Covey in Concussion Protocol
The Eagles also lost Britain Covey in Week 4 after their return man suffered a head injury with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left in regulation. According to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, the second-year receiver has been placed in the concussion protocol and his status remains day to day.
Slot receiver Olamide Zaccheaus is listed as the backup punt returner on the depth chart. It seems like a long shot for Covey to be cleared in time for Sunday’s game in Los Angeles. While there is no set timetable for passing the protocol, the median time has been 6-9 days. No player who has suffered a concussion has returned the following week to date.
Nick Sirianni wasn’t asked about the severity of Covey’s condition at his day-after press conference so there is no immediate update. However, the head coach was quick to let everyone know that the Eagles have a lot of things to clean up overall. The team remains a work in progress.
“I think we are truly a team that’s in a growth mindset. We’re happy to be 4-0, but we know that there’s work to do ,” Sirianni said. “Even talking to Jason Kelce after the game and I was, like, ‘We’re 4-0! Let’s go!’ And even he said it, ‘Yeah, I know we have a lot to clean up.’ And he’s right. We have a lot to clean up.”
More must-reads: