Next man up: Two in-house replacements for Eagles' Jason Kelce

While there’s been no official announcement, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is expected to retire after 13 NFL seasons. Replacing the All-Pro won’t be easy, but the Eagles think they have a guy (or two).

Cam Jurgens (RG)

At Nebraska, Jurgens played 31 games at center before being drafted by Philadelphia with the 51st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. This year, he took over at right guard after Isaac Seumalo signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the Eagles' plan has always been to move Jurgens to center once Kelce retires. Otherwise, the team probably doesn’t draft Alabama guard Tyler Steen in the third round of last year’s draft to replace Jurgens.

At 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, Jurgens is roughly the same size as Kelce, but like his mentor, his off-the-field endeavors rival his on-field play. Back in high school, Jurgens won seven state titles (four in the discus, three in the shot put) with his mother as coach. Beth Jurgens was a seven-time National Champion in the discus and shot put.

In high school, he played linebacker and punter but came to Nebraska in 2018 as one of the nation’s top tight end recruits. He gained 45 pounds in the 2019 offseason to play offensive line.

Jurgens is also quite a fan of livestock. Before joining the NFL, he was known to practice his pass-blocking moves on steer and he even used his NIL money to start his own beef jerky business, “Beef Jurgy’s Beef Jerky.”

If things go according to plan this offseason, expect Jurgens to make the move to center.

Landon Dickerson (LG)

Of course, the team could always try something different and move their 6-foot-6, 332-pound left guard to center. Dickerson was an early second-round pick in 2021 and ESPN lists him as Kelce’s backup on their unofficial depth chart.