He's crucial to Eagles O-line not falling apart without Jason Kelce − no, not Cam Jurgens

PHILADELPHIA − The legacy that Jason Kelce is leaving behind goes beyond what he has done on the field.

That was evident in a social media post from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which basically said Eagles fans should prepare for Kelce's induction in 2029, the first year he's eligible.

After all, how are the Eagles going to replace a center bound for football immortality?

Kelce announced his retirement Monday after a 13-year career, all with the Eagles.

Sure, the Eagles have a plan in place for Cam Jurgens to take over at center. Kelce, in fact, personally gave his stamp of approval to Jurgens as the heir apparent when the Eagles drafted Jurgens in the second round in 2022.

But it's not that simple. It's not only the fact that Kelce has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times in his career, second only to Chuck Bednarik in Eagles' history, or that he's been selected first-team All Pro six times, tied for the most by an NFL center since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Kelce has started an Eagles franchise record 156 games in a row. Jurgens has maybe 100 snaps, total, at center in his two NFL seasons. Jurgens spent last season playing right guard.

So assuming Jurgens moves to center, then the Eagles need someone to play right guard. And here is where the Eagles will feel the dropoff the most. That's because options aren't great for the spot next to perennial Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson.

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The Eagles drafted Tyler Steen in the third round last spring.

But Steen had played his entire collegiate career at tackle at both Vanderbilt and Alabama. He had never played guard until the Eagles moved him there in training camp.

As it turned out, Jurgens missed six games with assorted injuries. At first, the Eagles replaced Jurgens with journeyman Sua Opeta. After a few games, the Eagles started Steen against Dallas on Nov. 5. To show how well that went, Opeta went back to starting when Jurgens was out.

Opeta is eligible for free agency. And a full offseason at right guard will benefit Steen. Steen admitted as much after the season ended, when speaking in general about going from his rookie year to his second season.

"I would say the biggest thing I learned isn’t technical," Steen said "I would say it’s the mindset. Regardless of how the previous play goes, if it’s good or bad, being able to focus on the next play and not let that affect you as far as the rest of the game, or the rest of the series, or whatever it is.

"And I saw what it takes to play offensive line in this league, and the toughness and effort it takes to display every Sunday."

Kelce embodied that throughout his 13-year career. It's what made Kelce so beloved. And it was befitting a sixth-round draft pick in 2011 who started from Week 1 of his rookie season all the way through Week 18 of his 13th season.

Kelce played through injuries, coaching changes, Super Bowl highs, and everything in between. That kind of mentality would help Steen as much as improvements on the field.

Kelce knows what that takes.

"The Eagles are the No. 1 ticket in town, the most talked about thing at nearly every moment," Kelce said. "With that amount of attention, you better be ready to overcome the lows that will happen, and be ready to persevere in the face of that criticism.

"Yes, they will let you know when you are performing well every time. But they will also love you if you show effort, aggression, desire, the will to fight ... They’ve been caring for generations in this town, about this team, and they aren’t about to accept a bunch of excuses and soft-ass nonsense representing the name of the front of jersey – something they’ve invested their entire lives in.

"If you don’t like what the fans and media are saying as a player, it’s very easy – love them, treat them like your brothers, and go out and play your balls off. Wear your heart on your sleeve, and I guarantee you change those narratives."

Ideally, the Eagles would like to make those moves in-house instead of spending millions of dollars on a free agent when that salary cap money should be spent shoring up a porous defense. But if Steen can't get the job done, then the Eagles will have to either spend in free agency or tak e someone early in the draft.

Again, that draft pick could be better spent on the defense, or perhaps on a running back if D'Andre Swift leaves in free agency.

None of this came as a surprise to the Eagles. They have prepared for the possibility of Kelce's retirement for the last several offseasons. In fact, they drafted offensive linemen in either the second or third round in each of the last three drafts.

It began with Landon Dickerson, drafted as a center in the second round in 2021. But Dickerson stepped in as an injury replacement at left guard, and has since been selected to the Pro Bowl twice, an indication that he'll stay there in 2024.

Then came Jurgens, a natural center who had played every game of his college career at Nebraska there. And now Steen.

And here, Kelce was hopeful for the future as he expressed his appreciation for head coach Nick Sirianni. Kelce referenced Sirianni's famous flower-pot speech from 2021, Sirianni's first season, that led the Eagles to turn around a 2-5 start to make the playoffs

"Sometimes the flowers get knocked back a bit," Kelce said though his tears. "But the roots remain. I can’t wait to watch what re-blossoms this next season."

For the Eagles' success, it'll have to be Jurgens, and to a greater extent, Steen.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The player crucial to replacing Jason Kelce on Eagles' offensive line