Eagles locker room buzz: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith look forward to reunion with Brian Robinson Jr.

Throughout the season, The Inquirer’s Eagles reporters will compile a weekly report on what they’re hearing and seeing from inside the locker room at the NovaCare Complex.

When the Eagles and Commanders meet Monday evening at Lincoln Financial Field, it’ll mark a significant reunion involving players from both teams.

The last time these two squads met in Week 3, the Commanders were missing running back Brian Robinson Jr., who still was rehabbing after he was shot twice in the knee during an attempted robbery in late August. Robinson courageously returned from the injury and made his debut last month.

Robinson boasts relationships with several Eagles thanks to his alma mater, Alabama, where he was teammates with quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, left guard Landon Dickerson, and cornerback Josh Jobe. A few of them spoke about the significance of seeing Robinson for the first time in the NFL.

“It’s always special to see a friend play,” Hurts said. “I spent a lot of special time with him at Alabama, along with a lot of those guys on that football team. Honestly, the things he’s been able to overcome, it’s a true miracle and a blessing. I’m glad to see him back doing what he loves.”

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Alongside Smith, Robinson won two College Football Playoff national titles with the Crimson Tide in 2017 and ‘20. During his final season in 2021, Robinson earned All-SEC first-team honors after he rushed for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Commanders selected him in the third round (No. 98 overall) of this year’s draft.

The Eagles are hoping to tame Robinson and fellow Commanders running back Antonio Gibson. The defense is playing at an elite level, but the unit has been susceptible at giving up big gains on the ground. The Eagles rank 20th in the league in rush defense, allowing an average of 121.4 yards per game.

“With B. Rob, he came into Bama and didn’t really get what he wanted until his last year, really,” Smith said. “He was one of those guys that kept working day in and day out and finally got what he wanted.

“With him going through what he went through with his playing time at Bama and [the shooting], being able to come back and now be the starting running back for Washington, that’s amazing perseverance.”

According to Jordan Mailata, Hurts can be a challenging lifting buddy.

During an appearance on Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Hurts conceded he sometimes will poke fun at his bigger teammates if they’re moving comparable weight during a lift. The Eagles quarterback’s dad is a powerlifting coach who would take Hurts and his brother, Averion Jr., to meets when they were in high school.

The lasting impact of those years spent powerlifting is apparent at the NovaCare Complex now.

“I like to [mess] with him a little bit,” Hurts said on the podcast. “I like to [mess] with Jordan, too. I’ll be looking to the right, I’ll be like … ‘It’s the same [stuff] on the bar. What’s up?’”

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Mailata remembered one time when his choice in kettlebells left him on the receiving end of Hurts’ banter.

“I’ll tell you a funny story,” Mailata said. “There was one time, I was doing goblet squats. I saw that the highest kettlebell was like 26 kilos, everyone else was doing it. So I walked up to it and picked it up. When I looked up, Jalen’s standing right in front of me like, ‘Really?’ So I put it down and dragged over this [bleeping] 44-kilo one. The heaviest one we have in there. Like [gosh] damn, man.”

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday