This is not a weekend for hot takes. The Eagles’ 2022 Rookie Class is at the NovaCare Complex for an introductory deep dive into the way of life in this organization, and that includes everything from making the most of the time in the classroom, the ability to translate from a condensed playbook to the practice field (no pads, no contact), working in the team environment, and learning names.
In the span of just a couple of days, the players who just last week joined the Eagles via the NFL Draft or the post-draft period learn a slice of life as a Philadelphia Eagle. And everything is coming at them fast, faster, fastest.
“It’s been exciting, a little bit of a whirlwind, you know, meet everybody, see new faces, see familiar faces, and learn everybody’s name,” second-round draft pick center Cam Jurgens said. “You’ve got your playbook, you’ve got everything coming at you all at once, and it’s fun and exciting.
They’re all here for a reason, including the handful of players in attendance on a tryout basis. There are only 90 roster spots on an NFL team right now, and the reason these players are here is because the Eagles see something in them. Every moment counts. Every rep on the field means something.
A total of 42 players took to the practice bubble on Friday (the rain in Philadelphia is expected to be heavy all weekend) and went at it in helmets, shells, and shorts. The energy was great, the tempo was fast, and the mood was that of an extended teaching session because, in effect, that’s what it was. Tight ends coach Jason Michael, for example, had two players at his disposal – sixth-round draft pick Grant Calcaterra and tryout player John Harrar, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound former basketball player from Penn State and nearby Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Michael worked with both players on the little things like stance at the line of scrimmage – two-point or three-point – and footwork and the nuances of running the routes. Coaches coach because they love to educate and…