Jalen Hurts Excels At Eagles OTAs

For the first time since winning Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles took to the practice field in front of reporters for the first week of OTAs on Wednesday afternoon.  Philadelphia looks somewhat different than their Super Bowl winning roster in February. Key starters on both sides of the ball like guard Mekhi Becton, cornerback Darius Slay, or edge rusher Josh Sweat, are no longer with the team.

The Eagles have done their part to address those departures. At the end of the day, they still believe they have enough to compete for a Super Bowl.  And it all got started Wednesday with some big takeaways from the NovaCare Complex.

Jalen Hurts Excels

The consistent word of the day from reporters in attendance was that the Super Bowl MVP was sharp throughout team drills. While he didn’t push the ball down the field, the Eagles and Jalen Hurts didn’t miss a beat during workouts.  It’s a sign that the offense won’t be in trouble despite losing another play-caller.

New Starter Hits OLine

With Becton now in his new home with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Eagles have an obvious need at guard. They did bring in Kenyon Green, and drafted a plethora of offensive linemen during April’s selection process.  From the first practice, though, it looked like former third round draft pick Tyler Steen will get the first crack in showing he can play guard at a starting caliber level to this point. This could change as we get closer to training camp, but it looks like the veteran will have a chance to finally earn an every-down role with the team.

Safety Changes

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is gone. Philadelphia traded him to the Houston Texans to start this offseason in the hopes of getting younger at key positions on defense.  In his place, both Sydney Brown, and second round rookie Andrew Mukuba will get the chance to compete for playing time. The fact that the Texas product was already working with the starters is a great look for Philadelphia’s draft process right now.  Much like the guard position battle, though, things can change.