Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens
Eagles GM Howie Roseman shares honest reason for surprising Cam Jurgens trade 1
Howie Roseman traded a two-time Pro Bowl center on Wednesday, just one day after the Philadelphia Eagles lost Lane Johnson to retirement, and he described the return as four players for one. The Eagles sent Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The count Roseman offered includes two draft picks, the money that comes off the books and Drew Kendall, the second-year center who has been starting in Jurgens’ old spot for three weeks.
“I think for us, when you talk about the 2 and the 5 and going from the 7 to the 5th, we’ve had success in the 5th round. Plus, the money, plus Drew playing, we felt like we were getting four players for one. We just felt like for us with all of these guys that we’ve got coming up, a lot on the defensive side of the ball we want to re-sign and extend, felt like that was a good situation for us,” Roseman said in remarks posted by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro.
Philadelphia Eagles
Sep 14, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) receives the ball from the snap of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (62) alongside center Cam Jurgens (51) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Kendall is the clearest example of the fifth-round success Roseman pointed to. Philadelphia took him in that round in 2025 out of Boston College, and he moved into the starting job at center after Landon Dickerson got hurt in Week 2 and Jurgens slid to left guard. Kendall handled the job well, and Jurgens kind of struggled at guard.
“We weren’t looking to move Cam. Obviously, the Ravens had been looking for a center. They lost three centers. I speak to Eric (DeCosta) a lot. Originally, kind of told him it wasn’t anything we were looking to do. Over the last 24 hours it got to the point where we felt like it could be a win-win for them obviously getting a player who was a two-time Pro Bowl center for us,” Roseman said of how the deal came together.
Baltimore had placed centers Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic on injured reserve the week before.
Jurgens signed a four-year, $68 million extension in 2025 that runs through 2029, and Roseman tied moving that contract directly to the defensive players he wants to keep. Trading it in October, a year and a half after he signed it, lets the Eagles plan those extensions without a long-term center salary on the books.
Howie Roseman on the Cam Jurgens trade: “We weren’t looking to move Cam. Obviously, the Ravens had been looking for a center. They lost three centers. I speak to Eric (DeCosta) a lot. Originally, kind of told him it wasn’t anything we were looking to do. Over the last 24 hours it got to the point where we felt like it could be a win-win for them obviously getting a player who was a two-time Pro Bowl center for us. “And for us, being able to get the picks we were able to get and use that money also to sign players. Had a chance to watch Drew (Kendall) here play center. He’s doing a nice job, have a young player there. I think for us, when you talk about the 2 and the 5 and going from the 7 to the 5th, we’ve had success in the 5th round. Plus, the money, plus Drew playing, we felt like we were getting four players for one. We just felt like for us with all of these guys that we’ve got coming up, a lot on the defensive side of the ball we want to re-sign and extend, felt like that was a good situation for us.”
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) October 7, 2026
What the Eagles’ offensive line looks like after losing two starters this week
Johnson had played every offensive snap of the first three games before sitting out the loss to the Los Angeles Rams for personal reasons, and Markel Bell, a third-round rookie out of Miami, is the likely replacement at right tackle. Dickerson was injured in Week 2. Jurgens played through a back injury during the Super Bowl run two seasons ago and then dealt with back, knee and concussion problems in 2025, but he was still a starter on a line that is now set to have a rookie and a second-year player in two of its five spots.
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Sep 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman looks on before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Eagles are 2-2, and three of the four pieces Roseman counted are picks and cap room that do nothing for the trip to London on Oct. 11, where Philadelphia plays its next game with Bell expected at right tackle and Kendall at center.