Eagles Trade Pro Bowl Center Cam Jurgens to Ravens for Two Draft Picks
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, parting with one of the better interior linemen in the league a month into the season.
Baltimore receive Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Philadelphia get a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder.
A Significant Haul for a Lineman
The compensation is notable for a position that rarely commands this kind of return. A second-round pick for a center, even one with two Pro Bowl selections, is a substantial price.
Part of the appeal for Baltimore is the contract. Jurgens is under team control through 2029 at a figure that looks increasingly favourable as the market for interior offensive linemen has risen.
The trade is the second significant deal in the opening month of the season, following the New York Giants' move for quarterback J.J. McCarthy after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury. The trade deadline falls in early November.
Questions in Philadelphia
The timing has raised eyebrows. Philadelphia are four games into a season in which they were expected to contend, and trading a starting center for picks that do not arrive until 2027 and 2028 invites obvious questions about the club's intentions.
Those questions grew louder after a 24-20 home defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, a game in which the Eagles managed 172 total yards and failed to convert any of their 12 third-down attempts.
The club also lost long-serving right tackle Lane Johnson this week, with the 14th-year veteran announcing his retirement midway through the season.
Baltimore Reinforce the Middle
For the Ravens the move addresses an area of need and comes with their own season at a crossroads. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is uncertain for Week 5, and the club has been inconsistent through the opening month.
Jurgens began his career as a guard before moving to center, and has developed into one of the more reliable players at the position since taking over the role full time.
Elsewhere around the league, the Minnesota Vikings signed Odell Beckham Jr. to their practice squad, reuniting him with head coach Kevin O'Connell, and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended a long-running standoff by trading cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas.
The Giants added quarterback Jake Haener to their active roster as they manage life without Dart, while the Houston Texans confirmed that head coach DeMeco Ryans will take over defensive play-calling duties.
Week 5 begins on Thursday night with Tampa Bay at Dallas.
There was better news for Washington, where Jayden Daniels completed a full practice in his return from the dislocated elbow suffered against Dallas in Week 2. Baltimore's own quarterback situation is less settled, with Jackson's availability still to be confirmed.
Drake Maye and Carolina receiver Tetairoa McMillan were named the offensive players of the week after their Week 4 performances.
