Heading into the 2024 NFL common season, the Philadephia Eagles needed to exchange two of the perfect gamers in franchise historical past: Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce.
Drafted within the early 2010s, with Cox coming off the board within the first spherical of 2012 and Kelce turning into the seal of the 2021 draft within the sixth spherical, the dynamic duo helped to take care of over a decade of excellence within the trenches for Philadelphia, with the thought of changing the duo in the exact same season a scary prospect by any quantifiable metric.
And but, with the NFC Championship sport quickly approaching, the Eagles have barely missed the duo, with Jalen Carter and Cam Jurgens turning into two of the highest gamers at their respective positions of their first years as full-time starters.
Want proof? Nicely, look no additional than Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who broke down earlier than Week 21 how effortlessly Carter and Jurgens have stepped into two of the largest units of footwear on Philadelphia’s 2024 depth chart.
“Jalen Carter is enjoying effectively good soccer. Excited that he’s persevering with to get higher. I talked quite a bit about him and his growth and all of the issues. Clearly the expertise is there, however he’s developed a lot so far as simply all the things, his instincts, and simply continues to get higher. He’s acquired nice soccer instincts,” Sirianni informed reporters.
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“To have two phenomenal defensive tackles back-to-back, that claims quite a bit. Identical factor with [former Eagles C] Jason [Kelce] to [C] Cam [Jurgens]. It’s the identical sort of deal. So, clearly, you miss these guys. I miss being round Jason each day. I miss being round [former Eagles DT Fletcher Cox] Fletch each day. However these two guys are enjoying actually good soccer. Excited for his or her path and continued growth.”
For Carter, the transition from enjoying alongside Cox to turning into the workforce’s near-every-down three-technique rusher has been borderline easy, with the pleasure of Georgia turning into a Professional Bowler and an All-Professional as the focus of Vic Fangio’s protection. Whereas he hasn’t recorded double-digit sacks simply but, selecting up simply 4.5 in the course of the common season plus two extra within the playoffs, Carter attracts a gravity that’s merely unattainable for one blocker to cease, which is unimaginable, contemplating he is planning a median of 84 % of Philly’s defensive snaps.
And as for Jurgens? Nicely, whereas he would not have the magnetic draw that has landed Kelce all the things from a number of ESPN tv gigs to cereal bins and a small military of different endorsements, his on-field sport has regarded remarkably much like the participant he changed. Like Kelce, Jurgens is a beast within the open subject, the place he turns right into a full again in open area, and his skill to get his teammates within the appropriate blocking schemes has been paramount to Saquon Barkley’s 2,000-yard speeding season.
Throw that each one collectively and what do you have got? A fully unimaginable run of drafting success by Howie Roseman, who discovered a solution to exchange two all-time greats with out his workforce lacking a beat.