Eagles make a notable change to their weekly routine to shake off their recent struggles

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni made a notable change to the Eagles’ weekly routine Thursday.

Coming off two straight blowout losses, Sirianni elected to hold a full practice rather than the team’s originally scheduled walk-through session. Afforded an extra day of preparation for Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sirianni said the change was made in an effort to sharpen things up.

“We need to go out there and work on our fundamentals,” Sirianni said. “We’re late in the year. Sometimes late in the year you don’t have this opportunity because you’ve got to balance them being rested, got to balance them playing fresh, while also being ready physically and mentally. … We have a little extra time and a little extra rest from the last game. That’s why we’re going out there today and having a practice.”

“We feel as a football team we needed to do that this week,” Sirianni added.

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Not counting the team’s first session coming off the bye week last month, this marks the first time the Eagles opened their week of preparation with a full practice since early October. The change was also made after the initial schedule was released to the media on Monday.

Eagles veteran defensive end Brandon Graham said the change caught some players by surprise, but the group was seemingly acceptant of it given the way the last two games unfolded.

“You’d be insane to think you can do the same thing over and over and expect results to come on Sunday,” Graham said. “I think it’s just shaking the world up a little bit and letting people know that we’re going to have to make a little bit of changes. … A lot of the guys weren’t really tripping about that, which is a good thing because some people came in with the mindset that it was going to be walk-through but then it changed.”

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata added, “I think it’s about the will and want-to. I don’t know the whole reason why, but I love the messaging behind it. It’s good, it’s going to see the will and want of this team and how we want to practice.”

The first period of the afternoon featured an elaborate ball-security drill, which was fitting considering the three lost fumbles the Eagles had in a 33-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. In the only session of practice during the early portion open to the media, offensive players simulated going to the ground with a football attached to a chain that coaches yanked at, while another coach punched at the ball with a boxing glove attached to a stick.

The team has placed a particular emphasis on avoiding turnovers with similar drills since Sirianni’s arrival in 2021. The emphasis hasn’t translated this year, though. The Eagles have 19 turnovers in 14 games, tying their total from all of last season.

“Sometimes the ball bounces a little bit different,” Sirianni said earlier this week when asked about turnovers. “It’s a shame when you put in all that time that it does go against you. … We know we’re doing the right things as a team, how we coach it, how we protect it, how we go about our business.”

Before practice, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert said the extra reps this week would benefit younger players more than the walk-throughs the team has been holding since the middle of the year in an effort to keep players fresh and avoid injuries. Especially with younger players getting expanded roles as injuries pop up, Goedert said the extra time may prove beneficial.

“We have a lot of young guys that are [making] high contributions to this team,” Goedert said. “Players like that need practice. They need the full-speed reps where they can kind of see it where the vets don’t need it as much. I think it’s one of those things where we looked in the mirror and said some of the young guys probably need a few more reps.”

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The Eagles had three key starters sidelined for Thursday’s practice.

Cam Jurgens (pectoral), Darius Slay (knee), and Zach Cunningham (knee) didn’t participate in the first practice of the week. Jurgens suffered his injury last Sunday against the Cowboys, but was able to return and finish the game after missing a few plays.

Cunningham missed the Eagles’ Week 13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a hamstring injury, but returned for last weekend’s game in Dallas. He went to the medical tent midway through the game and is now dealing with a knee injury.

Slay was held out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday last week with a knee/rest designation, suggesting the team was being cautious with the veteran cornerback. He returned to practice fully on Friday and played 82% of the team’s defensive snaps against the Cowboys.

Reed Blankenship, who suffered a concussion against the Cowboys, was a limited participant in practice Thursday. The safety will have to be a full participant by the end of the week in order to have a chance to come out of concussion protocol.

Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith and edge rusher Haason Reddick were off to the side at the start of practice without helmets or shoulder pads, but were not listed on the injury report. According to the Eagles, both players went through their normal workload for the first practice of the week, meaning they didn’t have to be listed on the report.

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