Sitting at 2-2, the Philadelphia Eagles were already walking a tightrope this season. But parting ways with Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens right after losing legendary tackle Lane Johnson feels like pulling the plug on their own Super Bowl dreams. Fans are rubbing their eyes, wondering why Howie Roseman would dismantle an offensive line that was supposed to protect their championship ambitions.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Former Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead did not hold back when analyzing the situation on CBS Sports’ Just Football. Speaking with the raw honesty of a guy who knows what a winning locker room looks like, Armstead laid out a grim reality check.
“The Eagles, it’s over. This is a message that they are about to start a different process,” Armstead said. “Because you don’t lose two pro bowlers in the same day for nothing. You gotta say, Saquon Barkley. That hurt. You have the implosion that we saw against the Rams that might have been the last straw. Like, I would love for this to be an overreaction.
“But you don’t trade your Pro Bowl Center after losing your all-world tackle in the same day unless you got plans of doing something different and you don’t get a player back. This is draft capital. The draft is in April. All right, that’s after the season.”
The trade itself sent shockwaves through the league. Philadelphia shipped Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. In exchange, the Eagles got back a fifth-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2028. While future draft picks sound nice on paper, swapping a proven starter for picks that won’t help until next spring tells you everything about where management’s head is at.
The team sure has gotten future picks, but replacing Jurgens would be tough. He took the right guard position with the Eagles, but after Jason Kelce retired, he moved to center.
He handled the job well and became the youngest Eagles center to make the Pro Bowl since 1953 in the 2024 season. He made the Pro Bowl again in 2025 and helped Philadelphia win the NFC East for a second straight season.
The Eagles became the first team to win the division in consecutive seasons since Philadelphia itself did it from 2001 through 2004. However, after Landon Dickerson landed on IR due to a knee bone bruise following Week 1, the team shifted Cam Jurgens to left guard and inserted Drew Kendall at center.
This resulted in Jurgens’ steep performance struggles, marked by poor pass-blocking grades. Later, Lane Johnson also retired on October 6, 2026, after which letting go of Jurgens made no sense.
Johnson retired after a decorated career, including two Super Bowl championships, three NFC titles, six Pro Bowl selections, and five All-Pro honors, with two of those coming as a first-team All-Pro. Because of Johnson’s importance to the Eagles’ offensive line, trading Jurgens immediately after his retirement raises questions about its plan to win right now.
However, the trade was not on the cards for the Eagles, as General Manager Howie Roseman said the team was not initially looking to move Jurgens. But they were thinking of the future, and getting picks seemed fair.
Despite this massive change, Roseman still believes the team can win. Roseman also made it clear that the team still wants to compete this season.
“We’re trying to win this year. I think, from my perspective, just looking at what is the ultimate goal, which is to win the last game of the year, and then to have a run as we’ve had,” Roseman said to reporters after the Jurgens trade news came out.
The team does have players ready to step in. Drew Kendall has already taken over at center. The Eagles can make more changes to their offensive line, with Willie Lampkin and Markel Bell as replacements at left guard and right tackle.
But even with those options, winning might not be that easy.
Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith were both missing from the Eagles’ practice on Wednesday. Both players are important parts of Philadelphia’s offense.
Barkley is dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered during Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Rams. Smith also missed practice because of a hamstring problem, leaving the Eagles waiting to see if either player will be ready to play this week.
So, now it will be interesting to see how they hold up in their goal of winning this season.