Eagles 2026 most important list: Cam Jurgens

Eagles 2026 most important list: Cam Jurgens originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2026 season.

25. Eli Stowers
24. Marcus Epps
23. Dontayvion Wicks
22. Tyler Steen
21. Moro Ojomo
20. Drew Mukuba
19. Jihaad Campbell
18. Nolan Smith
17. Jalyx Hunt
16. Dallas Goedert
15. Makai Lemon
14. Riq Woolen
13. Cam Jurgens

Eagles center Cam Jurgens was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2025 but he clearly wasn’t the same player.

The 26-year-old battled through injuries last season and they took their toll.

So after last season ended with a disappointing loss in the wild card round, Jurgens (and left guard Landon Dickerson) went to Colombia for stem cell therapy. And a few months later, Jurgens said he felt much better.

“Stem cells have been going on for a long time now,” Jurgens said. “I’m not the first one, won’t be the last one. Just a lot of good cases of people going down there and saying it helps me heal. It’s going to help you get into a better position. We’re paid a lot of money to do our job and we have to use all the resources we can.”

Jurgens was awesome in 2024 and somehow played through an extremely painful back injury in the second half of the NFC Championship Game and then the Super Bowl two weeks later. But after the season, Jurgens needed surgery. He then had to rehab and training camp came quickly. He never really got much of an offseason. PFF ranked Jurgens as the 18th-best center in the NFL last season.

The last few months have been key for Jurgens to get his body right; having a real offseason was helpful. And that’s a big deal. Because when Jurgens is healthy, he’s one of the best centers in the NFL.

This upcoming season with be Jurgens’ fifth in the NFL and his third as the Eagles’ full-time starting center. He took over that role when Jason Kelce retired after the 2023 season. Jurgens, a 2022 second-round pick, has definitely been worth that pick.

The Eagles will need him to get back to form in 2026 as they implement a new offensive scheme under new OC Sean Mannion. This wide-zone blocking scheme will accentuate the offensive line’s athleticism. 

“I like the system,” Jurgens said. “I feel like I’ve always liked teams that run it. I feel like it lets you be a little more of an athlete, lets you run around and play free. So I’m excited for that.”

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76ers snatch Jaylen Brown from Celtics in blockbuster steal

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during a game at State Farm Arena on March 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

When the offseason began, it felt inevitable that Jaylen Brown would spend the summer answering questions about his future, whether it happened in Boston, Milwaukee, or elsewhere.

What nobody expected, however, was that those questions would end with Brown wearing a Philadelphia 76ers jersey.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Celtics traded Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.

BLOCKBUSTER: The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/xNcNlIV2mh

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

Now, being entirely honest, the writing was very much on the wall. Just a few days after trying to include Brown in a Giannis Antetokounmpo package, after endless rumors and commentary on the Celtics’ plans to get rid of Brown, and even after Brown himself never said he wanted out of Boston, we all knew where this was going.

Again, waht no freaking body could see coming was a trade that sent the 2024 Finals MVP to the team that knocked it out of the playoffs last May.

If Brown had been traded for Giannis, most people would’ve understood it, and nobody would have batted much of an eye. Instead, Boston pivoted to deal after deal, asked teams for up to four or five first-round picks, and ultimately found no real market for a seemingly overvalued player that ended up near-dumped by the C’s.

For context, Brown averaged career highs in 2026 with 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while leading the Celtics to 56 wins, even with Jayson Tatum missing most of the season recovering from his Achilles injury. He finished sixth in MVP voting and made Second Team All-NBA.

In exchange for that Brown, all the Sixers sent the other way was a package centered around a 35-year-old Paul George (who missed ample time last season with a suspension and is more injured than not) and four future draft picks (definitely not the ones the Celtics wanted).

There’s been nonsensical trades this season, but this one puts the cherry on top of the poop sundae Boston has been carefully preparing. Shout-out, Philly, you got a good one here.

George is still a very good player when he’s available, but availability has become an inevitable part of the PG8 equation. He played just 37 games last season, only more than 56 once since he left OKC in 2019, and he’ll turn 36 before next year’s playoffs. Will the draft picks help Boston? Probably, but this is most definitely not another KG-Nets-like trade for the C’s.

For the Sixers, not only do they get rid of Paul George and replace them with a younger, ten-times better player, but Brown also gives them another star capable of carrying the offense when Joel Embiid isn’t on the floor, which they know will happen at some point during both the regular season and the playoffs.

Brown also joins VJ Edgecome and Tyrese Maxey, none of whom will need to create that much by themselves anymore, let alone after Brown proved he can be a 1A leader after becoming Boston’s primary option last year. The former Leprechaun has also played at least 63 games in each of the last five seasons, a bill of health Philadelphia isn’t accustomed to seeing around those places.

As for the Knicks, this trade feels a little like a wash. I wouldn’t call it a win, but with a little bit of time to let it marinate, I might end up leaning that way.

For one, Boston signed Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks on Wednesday, and the lineup was looking complete with a healthy Tatum ready to go. Now, the PG-Celtics are definitely worse than they were 12 hours ago. Not only that, but the Celtics have replaced a player smacked right in the middle of his prime with one nearing the end of his.

The Sixers, on the other hand, are definitely much better. But there’s always a but, and we all know what the but is here. Maxey is a budding star. VJ is another one. Embiid was one. Brown is a superstar. Have you seen all Sixers play together for more than two games in a row? I bet you’ve not. Let’s see how the joints hold up heading into April and go from there.

I was going to write a bit about the impact of the trade in the broader Eastern Conference picture, but I’m doing that in a separate post because this one is running too long.

Let me finish with this. The Knicks are 7-3 against the Celtics in the last two seasons. They are 14-2 against Philly. I just don’t see those records flipping any time soon.

You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.

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LeBron James has governors, the NHL and the NFL waiting for his free agency decision

MIAMI (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his sales pitch. So did DJ Khaled, the New York Jets and the Winnipeg Jets. Even the PGA Tour took a swing, trying to appeal to someone who has quickly become obsessed with golf.

“We're waiting for you Bron,” the tour posted on social media.

Get in line. Every team and every league, it would seem, wants LeBron James.

The waiting-for-LeBron game is on, with the entire basketball universe — and, evidently, the political, entertainment, football, hockey and golf universes as well — waiting to hear what the greatest scorer in NBA history will decide about the 2026-27 season. All that is known so far are two things: He isn't retiring yet, and he won't be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

James let the world know on Tuesday that he's coming back for at least one more season and that he's decided to move on from the Lakers, those decisions becoming known a few hours before the start of free agency. What happens next, and when it will happen, is anyone's guess. The oldest active player in the NBA is still a guy who moves the needle, and it's not even clear if he knows how long this process will take.

“LeBron James, come on, let's do it again,” DJ Khaled, a regular courtside patron at Miami Heat games, said in a video posting in an effort to recruit James back to the place where he won his first two NBA titles. “Come on, man. Let's do it again. After the game, we'll go play golf. You know Miami's the best city in the world.”

A person familiar with James' planning told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he wanted his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, to take meetings with interested teams — actual NBA ones, which means it doesn't look good for other online suitors such as the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and soccer's Minnesota United — before reporting back.

For the most part, James and Paul went into this process knowing much of what the teams would say. Cleveland's pitch would be that Northeast Ohio is home, that his career started there and that it would make sense to end it there. Miami's pitch would be that he won two titles there, that it's known he loves the city, that it just landed Giannis Antetokounmpo and James still has deep ties to coach Erik Spoelstra and the front office. Golden State's pitch would include playing with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, two guys who click with James on multiple levels.

Walz wanted James to see a newspaper clip touting that Minnesota has the best quality of life when compared to other states. The New York Jets pointed out that James wore green and white in high school, matching their color scheme. The Winnipeg Jets simply offered to change their name to LeWinnipeg Jets.

“Never say never,” the Bills posted.

Jokes aside, James is obviously worth all the effort that some team will make to get him signed.

He still plays at an All-Star level, even at his age — there have been 24 instances, including playoffs, of someone in his 40s scoring 30 or more points in an NBA game, and James is responsible for 17 of those. No player had averaged more than 15 points per game in a season after turning 40; James averaged 24.4 points in 2024-25 and 20.9 points this past season, even while often being the Lakers' third option.

Plus, James' next home will see an immediate rush of activity.

Season ticket packages, if any are available, will get gobbled up quickly. James' Lakers jersey was the fifth-hottest seller in the league at the end of this past regular season, based on sales from NBAStore.com, Fanatics.com and Fanatics partner sites; his next jersey (even if it is a Cavs or Heat jersey again) will fly off the racks as soon as they can be printed. And it'll probably make fans in that city, whichever city it is, truly believe they have a real shot at the 2027 NBA title.

Only James knows when the waiting game will end.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Predicting NFL stars who could be groomsmen at Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift wedding

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is soon set to marry global pop icon Taylor Swift in what is expected to be one of the weddings of the century.

Details about the wedding have been sparse, as the couple has been keeping a tight guard on information related to the event.

That said, the latest rumors indicate that Kelce and Swift are going to be married July 3 in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden. That speculation remains unconfirmed, but either way, the expectation is the duo will be wed at some point this summer.

"Swifties" will be looking for every shred of information about the wedding, while NFL fans may have a mild curiosity surrounding which notable players will be in attendance for the big event.

Surely, plenty of Kelce's contingent will be invited to what could be a large wedding party if the reports that it is being staged at MSG are accurate.

But who will be among those stationed closest to Kelce during the event? A handful of figures with NFL ties stand out as potential groomsmen for the wedding. Here's a breakdown of who might serve in that role during the ceremony.

Jason Kelce

OK, let's start with the obvious one. The Kelce brothers are close, as they host a podcast together and have frequently spent time together, especially since Jason's retirement from the NFL following the 2023 season.

It would be shocking if the elder Kelce brother wasn't a part of his little brother's wedding party. It will also be interesting to see whether he is given the opportunity to deliver what could be a legendary speech celebrating his brother's marriage to Swift.

Patrick Mahomes

Kelce and Mahomes have played together for nine years and won three Super Bowls together. They are also close off-the-field, as Kelce and Swift have often been photographed hanging out with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.

Travis was a groomsman at Mahomes' wedding in 2022. That makes Mahomes the most likely among Kelce's current Chiefs teammates to be included among the groomsmen.

Andy Reid

Mahomes may not be the only long-time Chief to join the groomsman list. Reid – who has coached Kelce for the tight end's entire 13-year NFL career – may also play a part in the wedding party.

Images of the 68-year-old coach wearing a tuxedo circulated on the Internet on June 12, a marked departure from Reid's typical attire, which mostly includes Hawaiian shirts.

Could Reid be sporting the tuxedo as part of the wedding dress code? Sure, but it's also possible he's a groomsman. After all, he's not only close with Kelce; he also has a relationship with Scott Swift, Taylor's father, dating back to his time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelce credited Reid with playing a "Cupid" role in his relationship with Swift, so perhaps rewarding Reid by making him a groomsman could be on the table.

Ross Travis

Travis hasn't suited up in the NFL since 2021, but the Penn State product enjoyed a seven-year career as a role player. Three of those seasons (2015-17) came with the Chiefs, and he became close friends with Kelce during that time.

Travis is considered one of Kelce's inner-circle friends, so it would be a surprise if he isn't included in the wedding.

George Kittle

Kittle has been more willing than most to share details about the Kelce-Swift wedding. Obviously, hasn't revealed its location, but he did share that the couple has told the attendees there are "absolutely no gifts" associated with the wedding.

Could Kittle's knowledge of the wedding be a sign that he's involved with the wedding party? Possibly, as he and Kelce have grown closer through their work with "Tight End University."

Of course, it's also entirely possible Kittle could just be an invitee to the wedding and not a groomsman. But hey, either way, it will be fun to see what kind of outfit the long-bearded San Francisco 49ers star wears to the wedding.

Noah Gray

Is Gray as likely as some of Kelce's hometown friends – including Aric Jones and Kumar Ferguson – to be included in Kelce's wedding party? Probably not.

Even so, Gray has been a part of the Chiefs' tight end room since being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has spoken glowingly about Kelce as a person. They appear to have a great relationship, so perhaps Kelce would consider including Gray among the groomsmen, if he has a large contingent.

More likely, Gray will simply be among those invited to the wedding. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reports "many tight ends from throughout the league" are invited to the wedding, so it will be intriguing to see how many make the guest list cut.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Predicting NFL stars who could be groomsmen at Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift wedding

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