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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Glenn Erby

Eagles’ OTA related news: Zech McPhearson moving to slot CB; Cam Jurgens bulking up

The Eagles held their second OTA session of the summer, the first that was opened to the local and national media.

Philadelphia had four players miss the voluntary session on Thursday, but the work was still efficient, allowing a cast of new faces to continue embracing the culture and schemes.

Nick Sirianni’s team will have another practice on Friday before breaking until Monday and Tuesday’s OTA sessions.

With practice completed, here are Thursday’s notes, videos, and media sessions.

Zech McPhearson

(AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)

The Eagles are loaded at the outside cornerback spot and with Avonte Maddox recovering from surgery, Zech McPhearson saw plenty of reps at the slot cornerback position.

Per The Athletic:

The most significant is the move of Zech McPhearson inside as a nickel corner, where he worked during seven-on-seven drills with the first- and second-team defense. McPhearson has mostly played on the outside during his first two seasons in the league, while remaining on the sideline because of the good health of the starting cornerbacks above him.

McPhearson played some in the slot during his time at Texas Tech and more versatility increases his chances of making the 53-man roster.

Cam Jurgens bulking up for move to guard

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The former Nebraska center is scheduled to replace Jason Kelce once he retires, but in the current state of the roster, he’ll move over to right guard in place of the departed Isaac Seumalo.

Smaller than most natural guards, Jurgens has spent the offseason bulking up with plans to approach 320 pounds.

Per The Athletic

After practice, Jurgens said he hopes to arrive at camp weighing between 310 and 315 pounds (he’s about 305 at the moment). He remains the odds-on favorite to win the starting right guard job, but Steen will be in the mix as well. Asked about the difficulty of transitioning from center to guard, Jurgens joked that it’s a whole lot easier than moving from tight end to center, which he did at Nebraska.

Kyron Johnson switching positions

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Looking to see more snaps on defense, Kyron Johnson is moving from the SAM linebacker position to an off the ball role, similar to Nakobe Dean.

The former Kansas pass rusher started his career off as a safety and played every position on defense for the Jayhawks.

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