The rumor mill continues to connect the dots between the Philadelphia Eagles and Deshaun Watson. There is an increased feeling he could be traded to Philly prior to Week 1. That storyline has a lot of “difficult factors” to work through.
Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts has been running the first-team offense at Eagles’ camp for eight straight days. He’s had his ups and down in practices just like the 31 other starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The new QB1 has generally had more good days than bad days this summer, yet head coach Nick Sirianni still isn’t ready to declare him the guy.
“There’s just no rush there on having to do that,” Siriani told reporters on Thursday. ‘Again, we just want him to continue to impress and show like he has and we’re just not there yet.”
Nick Sirianni updated Jalen Hurts’ quest to “take the reins” as QB1 after 8 installs: “I think he’s doing a great job of understanding the offense and learning the offense and getting the reps of the offense … that will come even more when we start to repeat plays.” #Eagles
But what about the distractions outside the NovaCare Complex? Surely, Hurts has heard the Watson rumors so how is he dealing with it?
“Everybody’s distractions are different and everybody’s going through something different,” Sirianni said. “The message is clear with everybody: What are we doing to get better every day and what are we willing to eliminate from our life that is not allowing us to accomplish that goal?”
The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!
Jalen Reagor Bounces Back After Miscue
The star of Thursday’s practice was Jalen Reagor who leaped high in the air for a one-handed touchdown grab over Darius Slay.
The second-year receiver got the best of Slay three times in their red-zone matchups, one day after getting ripped by Sirianni for messing up a route. Some had criticized Sirianni for his hard coaching, but it worked. Reagor turned in his best practice of camp so far.
“The standard is high,” Sirianni said. “The standard is high of what we want and sometimes those [tough] conversations happen like that, but it’s all out of just one thing is to get the guys as good as we possibly can get them and get them better.”
Shorter Practices for Health Reasons
Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson used to hold two- to three-hour practices, sometimes pulling out the pads in the middle of the season. He came from the Andy Reid coaching tree and they believed in longer workdays.
Under Sirianni, typical practices tend to last 1 hour and 15 minutes. Why? Simply put, the Eagles want to make sure they are healthy to start the year.
“We have so much ability on the field, how do we keep them available, right? If they are not available, that ability is worth nothing,” Sirianni said. “That’s just a part of the design as far as the length of practices, but when we are out here working, the standard is set very clear of how we want practice to be.”
Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni has been hard on Eagles WRs in Camp
Among the reasons he says is because he used to play WR
“my philosophy is that, hey, I want it to be harder out here on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, than it is going to be on Sunday”
They aren’t easier by any means. In fact, some veteran players claim they are more mentally grueling and detail-oriented.
“The new coaching staff is real detail-oriented,” receiver John Hightower said. “Helping us on and off the field, telling us what we need to do, how we can get better, and how to improve.”
WR John Hightower left with an apparent injury and is back just watching practice. #Eagles
Said J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: “He’s definitely a coach who will stay on you until you get it right.”
Comments
Nick Sirianni Addresses Eagles QB Decision