PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Birds are back in South Philadelphia. Eagles training camp is underway. Wednesday gave the players their first chance to hit the practice field and, later, gave quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni a chance to respond to a recent report in The Athletic that their relationship is strained.
The start of training camp is an exciting time for Eagles fans. It means a new season of football is just weeks away. And fans, no doubt, want to forget about last season. The Eagles started out 10-1 and were a favorite to return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season, but they suffered an epic collapse, losing six out of seven games to close out their calendar.
An eventful offseason followed. It featured the signing of former New York Giants star Saquon Barkley. The Penn Stater was brought in to solidify the running back position and boost the offense. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a key member of the 2022 Eagles team that made it to the Super Bowl, is returning after one season in Detroit.
Plus, new coordinators were hired — Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense.
This is the first training camp in 14 years that the Eagles will not have Jason Kelce or Fletcher Cox on the roster. The longtime pillars of the franchise announced their retirements in March.
This will be Hurts’ and Sirianni’s fourth season together. Meeting with reporters Wednesday, the pair had their first opportunity to respond to rumors about their working relationship, which Sirianni said is good.
“When you hear a report like that, you don’t put much stock into it because, quite frankly, not everybody sees that,” Sirianni said.
“Only thing you can judge your relationships on is your personal interactions with people, not any report that comes out.”
Hurts said his relationship with Sirianni is “in a great place.”
“I think anytime you have any frustration, any time you have any adversity, that you have to overcome — it’s supposed to test you,” he said, adding that it’s a matter of being on the same page. And if they didn’t accomplish all they wanted to accomplish last year — “that’s a learning experience,” he said.
“I truly trust Mr. Lurie. I trust Howie. I trust Coach Sirianni to lead us in the right direction.”
Hurts said he’s excited about the season and Wednesday was a good first day, as he and the head coach look to write a new journey.
“I know everybody’s hungry. You know, everybody’s hungry. You know, there’s a ton of opportunity in front of us this year,” Hurts said.
“Talent wins you games. It’ll take you very far. But it won’t last. Teams is what win championships, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
There was one key injury note heading into the first practice. Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean will miss three weeks because of a hamstring injury, according to an ESPN report.
For fans who are interested in seeing the Eagles in person during training camp, there is only one practice that is open to the general public at Lincoln Financial Field. It’s set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1.
The first two preseason games are on the road, starting with the Aug. 9 matchup in Baltimore. The only home Eagles preseason game is on Aug. 24 against Minnesota.
The Eagles will open the regular season against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 6.