There were plenty of questions about how the Philadelphia Eagles would replace legendary center Jason Kelce after he called it a career.
But once Cam Jurgens stepped in, those doubts didn’t last long.
Jurgens not only held his own, he thrived. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection thanks to a steady presence in both the run and pass game, finishing the regular season with a solid 67.1 PFF grade.
He especially shined as a run blocker, leading the league in run-block snaps and helping pave the way for Saquon Barkley’s monster 2,005-yard rushing season.
The Eagles were so impressed that they locked in Jurgens for the long haul, signing him to a four-year contract extension worth $68 million in April.
While Jurgens is well on his way to carving out his own notable caree in Philly, other NFL coaches and executives aren't placing him among the best offensive lineman just yet.
ESPN dropped its list of the Top 10 interior offensive linemen heading into the 2025 season, and although Jurgens didn’t crack the top 10, he did earn an honorable mention.
One NFL coach even compared him to Kelce, which is high praise for the guy tasked with filling those legendary shoes:
"A poor man's Kelce. Aggressive, undersized player, good at point of attack, good on the move, above average in pass pro." -- NFL coordinator
When the Eagles used a second-round pick on Cam Jurgens out of Nebraska in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kelce wasn’t the least bit surprised.
That’s because Kelce actually helped scout him. He played a key role in identifying Jurgens as his ideal successor, even calling him his “favorite player” in the entire draft class.
Sure, Jurgens will never be a carbon copy of Kelce, and that’s exactly what makes his rise so impressive.
