The Philadelphia Eagles have been busy shaking things up this week, particularly when it comes to their offensive line. Easily the biggest move the team made was trading Pro Bowl offensive lineman Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Add in the abrupt retirement of Lane Johnson, and Philadelphia’s offensive line already looks markedly different from the unit we saw in Week 1. The decision to trade Jurgens was a surprise in its own right, but according to a new report, the Eagles and Ravens made another unexpected decision before pulling the trigger on this deal.
Ravens Conducted Cam Jurgens’ Physical Before Finalizing Trade
Despite earning a Pro Bowl selection last year, Jurgens lost his job as the Eagles’ starting center early this season, as he was instead used as one of the team’s two guards. The dip in Jurgens’ play convinced Philly to ship him to Baltimore when it received a pretty hefty offer for his services, and the rest is history.
The Ravens desperately needed a center, and the Eagles were confident in Drew Kendall, which led to this deal being finalized. However, the process for actually getting this trade over the finish line took an unexpected twist that could be picked up by teams across the league.
Over the offseason, Baltimore had a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby get killed days after it was reported because the team’s medical staff didn’t like what it saw from his physical. Rather than waiting until after agreeing to terms this time, the Ravens actually sent two of their doctors to Philadelphia to conduct their physical with Jurgens before finalizing the deal, and once he passed, the two sides agreed to sign off on the trade.
“The two sides made immediate plans for Jurgens to have a physical in Philadelphia before any deal was finalized, league sources told ESPN,” Schefter reported. “The Ravens sent two of their doctors to the Eagles’ training facility Wednesday morning. In a quiet part of the room, without the majority of the Eagles organization even noticing, Ravens doctors put Jurgens through the type of physical that Crosby did not pass, sources said.”
Eagles Need to Quickly Sort Their Offensive Line After Cam Jurgens Trade
After seeing the Crosby trade go up in flames over the offseason, it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see teams across the league begin implementing this sort of process before finalizing trades. Jurgens is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol and had back surgery last year, so getting this sort of information was crucial in order for Baltimore to agree to this trade.
For the Eagles, now that this deal is done, the main goal involves figuring out what its offensive line is going to look like. And considering how they are without both Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith in Week 5, they are going to have to do it fast, or else they could find themselves getting demolished by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in London.
Unexpected New Details Emerge on Eagles’ Cam Jurgens Trade