Preseason and training camp has ended, and Eagles 2022 football is less than a week away. With that, a new series has sprung.
Every week I’ll talk about two player awards… Iggles Standout Stud and the Iggles Flatout Dud. Who’s the stud and who’s the dud?
- The Standout Stud will be given to the best performing and/or most impressive Eagles player of the week.
- The Flat-Out Dud will be given to the player with the worst, most disappointing, or least impressive performance.
Since the regular season has yet to begin, the focus is on preseason and training camp this week.
The Standout Stud of Eagles Training Camp
Jason Kelce’s successor Cam Jurgens is my pick here.
It’s bold to give a rookie this much credit before playing a meaningful NFL snap, but the amount of confidence he’s instilled in such a short time is undeniable. Because Kelce has been rehabbing his elbow injury, Cam Jurgens has received first-team snaps and made the most of them.
He has amazing size and athleticism and already looks like a veteran on the field. His performance against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason was eye-opening, as he showed versatility in pass protection and run blocking. Anchoring both the first and second-team offensive lines, his gap awareness was the most impressive.
He allowed his teammate and running back Kenneth Gainwell to pick up large gains of 10 yards or more. His play is very similar to Jason Kelce, which gives all the players on the Eagles roster, media, and fans peace of mind that the center position will be solidified for the future. It may be a bit early to compare Jurgens to Kelce, but being groomed directly by Kelce could bode well.
The Flat-Out Dud of Eagles Training Camp
Former third-round pick and linebacker Davion Taylor stands out here.
When Taylor was drafted in 2020 he was already considered a raw project and a long shot at finding a permanent spot on the 2022 Eagles depth chart.
He played mostly special teams but did start as a linebacker as a rookie late in the season. There was pressure for him to show more potential with the Eagles’ linebacker corps being a weaker group, but he never lived up to the potential.
Unfortunately for Taylor, the Eagles have added a lot of talent at the position with linebackers Kyzir White, Nakobe Dean, and Haason Reddick. Taylor has struggled heavily this preseason and doesn’t have the talent or skill to compete with the other talent at linebacker, so he was the odd man out. After being cut by the Eagles, Taylor would clear waivers unclaimed and end up on the Eagles’ practice squad. Nick Sirianni sees a future and potential with Taylor, so hopefully, he will turn things around with the organization. Going from a third-round pick to at one point starting, then ending up on a practice squad is a huge decline.
Iggles.com Stud or Dud? – Week 1 Predictions
As the Eagles head into Detroit for week 1, two players’ performances can stand out, good and bad. If you look at the Lions roster headed into the matchup, the linebacker position is an area of concern. They depend on the young talent of Derek Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez to carry the load, and that’s a tall order.
Week 1 Standout Stud Prediction
My Standout Stud Eagle for this week is Kenneth Gainwell.
With Miles Sanders’ status uncertain for week 1, this is Gainwell’s time to shine. With an unproven linebacker group, the Eagles will likely have success running the football and success in run blocking. Gainwell will have plenty of gaps to run through if this inexperience shows for the Lions. Dallas Goedert is my stud Eagle honorable mention going into this week, as he could expose the middle of the Lions’ defense as well.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Lions’ strength and potential lie in their rebuilt offensive line that features Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell.
Week 1 Flat-Out Dud Prediction
My Flat-Out Dud pick heading into week 1 is Fletcher Cox.
This is a tough choice to make, but Cox could see double teams from the Lions’ offensive line which could render him less effective.
- On top of that, Fletcher Cox only had 3.5 sacks in 16 games in 2021.
- He also had his lowest amount of tackles (27) in four seasons.
- His sack numbers have lowered overall since 2018, and it raises the question if he’s on a decline.
He could go on to have a solid season with the depth on this Eagles defensive line, but this Lions offensive line could be a bad matchup. This is even WITH Big V’s injury.
- Do you agree or disagree?
- Who would be your Standout Stud and Flat-Out Dud for the 2022 preseason workouts/training camp?
- Who would you pick going into the week one matchup with Detroit?
