Making his NFL debut with the Philadelphia Eagles last year, Cam Jurgens had a huge responsibility in 2024. After all, he was replacing a player with thirteen years of experience in the NFL. Now, in the league’s final phase, Jurgens has expressed himself. 

For Cam Jurgens, it was not easy replacing Jason Kelce, who in March, announced that he would be bidding goodbye to football. People had their doubts, and he always had the pressure of performing like Kelce, aside from the fact that he was still a rookie. While everyone might want him to be the next Kelce for the Eagles, all Jurgens wanted was to be the best player on the field. And indeed, the Nebraska alum is a player of great caliber, his Pro Bowl selection proves that. “I feel like before the season, every day I was getting questions about what it’s like taking over for Kelce, this and that. Every single day. Same question,” said Jurgens. 

Talking about the 2024 season, the Eagles’ center added, “Then the season started, and I feel like I was playing good, and I didn’t get a single question about that until just now. I feel like I did good my first year. There’s still room to improve, but I’m happy.” He certainly answered one of the Eagles’ concerns.

Before this season kicked off, one of the biggest talking points was how the Eagles would manage without Jason Kelce. In his debut year, the 25-year-old got the chance to learn from Kelce for a year while playing right guard. After Kelce’s retirement, on being asked about taking over his role in the squad, Jurgens said, “At the end of the day, just be myself. I’m not trying to be somebody’s replacement or somebody’s next person. I’m just trying to be myself. Can I be the best football player that I can be in whatever position they put me in? That’s what I’m going to do.”

He added graciously, “It’s easy to follow somebody like that and learn from that. It’s just going to be a little different without him this year.” Honestly, the Eagles saw this coming. And might be that’s why they picked Cam Jurgens in the 2022 draft. Now, the coach is all praise for him.

Nick Sirianni commends Cam Jurgens for earning Pro Bowl spot

After making it to the playoffs, the Eagles are on cloud nine as six of their players made it to the Pro Bowl. But the fans are mostly excited for Cam Jurgens, who will be making his Pro Bowl debut. The former Nebraska Cornhuskers player has silenced all his doubters. And his head coach has nothing but praise for him.

“It’s never easy to replace a legend, which we all know how special of a player and leader Jason Kelce was. So he’s had to step in and fill those shoes, and I think he’s done a really nice job,” said the Eagles HC Nick Sirianni. Along with Cam, his teammates, including RB Saquon Barkley and defensive tackle Jalen Carter, also received Pro Bowl 2025 invites.

The Eagles are ruling the NFC East division, with 13 wins in their column. They’ve pretty much secured the division. Playing in all 15 games, Cam Jurgens has been a key contributor to the Eagles’ success this season. Throughout the season, Jurgens has only given up four sacks and a single quarterback hit across 519 pass-blocking snaps. Fans are excited to see Jurgens play in his first Pro Bowl on February 2. For now, he and the Eagles are all set to face the Giants in the final game of the season.