Philadelphia Eagles star center Cam Jurgens is officially active for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders, with his role in question with a back injury.
Jurgens was considered a game-time decision and tested out his back dressed in football pants during pregame warmups.
He is unlikely to start and only expected in for an emergency situation, per multiple reports.
There was some confusion as to Jurgens’ status, as rumors initially circulated that he was being held out of the game. The Eagles did not designate him as such, giving him eligibility to play.
Any absence means Jalen Hurts will be taking snaps from a center that is not Jason Kelce or Jurgens for the first time in his career with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni’s plan should Jurgens be out of the game is to slide left guard Landon Dickerson to center.
Philadelphia Eagles star center Cam Jurgens is active for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game
Any absence means Jalen Hurts will be taking snaps from a new center in the critical game
Tyler Steen would insert into the Philadelphia starting lineup in Dickerson’s usual spot.
Any Jurgens’ absence is cushioned by two factors, with one being the Eagles’ abnormal offensive-line depth, boasting one of the best units in the NFL.
Maybe more importantly, the Commanders will be without defensive tackle Daron Payne on Sunday as well, who would be in an incredible position to exploit any cracks in the Philadelphia trenches.
Jurgens has been the Eagles starting center for this entire season, taking over for Kelce after the NFL legend’s retirement last March.
The Commanders and Eagles will play for the third time this season, with each team previously winning the divisional contest on their home turf.
Hurts did not play for a majority of the Week 16 win for the Commanders over the Eagles, with Philadelphia’s quarterback playing on Sunday.
