The Philadelphia Eagles righted the ship in Week 7 with a win against the Minnesota Vikings, but lost a few key contributors to injury. In addition to Azeez Ojulari, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Adoree' Jackson, who had to exit the game at various points, starting center Cam Jurgens sustained a knee injury in the first half after playing only 15 snaps. This meant more of Brett Toth, who struggled in his snaps, raising some concerns about the offensive line going forward.
Head coach Nick Sirianni didn't alleviate these concerns in his remarks on Tuesday, failing to provide any update on Jurgens. However, the Eagles made a signing to add depth to their offensive line, potentially signaling an absence for Jurgens.
Eagles Bring Back Sua Opeta After 1.5 Seasons
The Athletic's Zach Berman reported on Wednesday that in addition to opening CB Jakorian Bennett's practice window, the Eagles were signing Sua Opeta to the practice squad. The PS roster spot was created earlier by the release of tight end Jaheim Bell.
Opeta is a familiar name for Eagles fans as he spent four seasons in Philadelphia after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster during this span, appearing in 38 games and starting in ten.
After the 2023 season, Opeta had signed with the Bucs, but missed his first season there with a torn ACL. Prior to this season, he was released before the roster cutdown date, but was brought back to the practice squad. Yet, he wasn't elevated to the active roster once and never appeared in a game for Tampa Bay, eventually getting released by the team two weeks ago.
Opeta is obviously not a direct replacement for Jurgens, as he has spent his time in the NFL exclusively playing guard. During his Eagles stint, he split his snaps almost evenly between left and right guard. What the 29-year-old provides, however, is additional depth for when the Eagles need to shuffle things around on the offensive line.
The Eagles have rookie Drew Kendall as the backup center, as well as left guards Landon Dickerson and Brett Toth, who have spent time at center previously. In Week 7, it was Toth who subbed in for Jurgens, but we could see a different alignment on Sunday against the Giants.
Regardless of who starts at center, the Eagles will be one offensive lineman short if Jurgens misses the game. That means Opeta could be elevated to the active roster as an emergency backup. Wednesday's official injury report, which will have Jurgens' status listed, should give us a better idea.