Eagles right guard Cam Jurgens misses second straight practice; Sua Opeta takes reps in his place
The Eagles also were without Darius Slay and Zach Cunningham. Both are dealing with knee injuries. Reed Blankenship (concussion) was a full participant at practice.
Eagles right guard Cam Jurgens was sidelined for Friday’s practice with a pectoral injury, marking the second practice he’s missed in as many days.
The second-year lineman suffered the injury in the Eagles’ 33-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was replaced briefly by rookie guard Tyler Steen. Jurgens finished the game after missing just two plays.
While Steen was the choice last Sunday, reserve guard Sua Opeta was the one taking reps in Jurgens’ spot during the early portion of individual drills open to the media. Opeta has been inactive for three of the Eagles’ last four games but was the initial choice to fill in for Jurgens when he landed on injured reserve with a foot injury earlier this year.
He has started four games in Jurgens’ place this season but suffered a hip injury in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders and was replaced by Steen the following week against the Dallas Cowboys despite being available to play.
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Jurgens returned the next game, returning Steen to the bench and Opeta to the inactives. When weighing the two as game-day reserves, it’s important to note that Steen has some positional versatility as a college tackle who played both spots during training camp, whereas Opeta is strictly a guard.
In his four-year career, Opeta has started eight games for the Eagles and has dressed for 34. Left tackle Jordan Mailata pointed out Opeta’s experience slotting in and said the team is comfortable with him in the starting lineup if needed.
“We have tremendous confidence in him,” Mailata said. “Sua has played a lot of games for us. He’s played very well in that position. The last time he played, he was playing through injury, and I thought he still played a solid game. Not as clean, but now he’s healthy, so we’re going to get Sua at a higher level.”
If Opeta gets the start Monday against the Seattle Seahawks, one major adjustment will be cuing the offense’s silent count at Lumen Field, one of the louder stadiums in the league. The Eagles task their right guard with looking back at the quarterback and tapping the center when given the signal, which can take some acclimation, according to center Jason Kelce.
“It can change a lot,” he said. “The key with the silent count is timing, right? So if a new guy is in there, the timing is off. It can take the unit a little bit of getting used to. The benefit for us is Sua has not only played this year, but he’s played a lot for us. So I think everybody feels very comfortable with him operating if he has to. Steen has played, so whoever is operating, we’ll feel good with.”
Along with Jurgens, the Eagles were without starting cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker Zach Cunningham for a second practice in a row. Both players are dealing with knee injuries, something that sidelined Slay for two practices last week as well.
Safety Reed Blankenship was a full participant in Friday’s session, putting him on track to come out of concussion protocol in time for Monday’s game barring any setbacks.
The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.