- Kelce called time on his career during a tearful press conference earlier this month
- Sirianni realizes the magnitude of the task Philadelphia has in replacing him this year
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The Philadelphia Eagles will be tasked with replacing an all-time great NFL player this season following the retirement of Jason Kelce, head coach Nick Sirianni admits.
Kelce, 36, opted to bring the curtain down on his storied football career earlier this month after his 13th season in Philadelphia ended with a Wild Card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He leaves as one of the most important figures in Eagles history. He played an integral role in the team’s first and only Super Bowl win in 2018, while also helping them become football’s major showpiece again five years later.
While announcing his decision, an emotional Kelce broke down in tears during a tearful farewell speech in Philadelphia, as members of his family and Sirianni looked on.
And as he begins to formulate his plans, the Eagles coach believes they will have to replace one of the greatest players in NFL history at center next season.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni says they have lost an all-time NFL great in retired Jason Kelce
Kelce, 36, decided to bring the curtain down on his legendary football career earlier this month
Sirianni, who watched as the legendary center announced his decision, is well aware of the magnitude of the task they have in replacing him.
“Obviously, we’re losing one of the best players in not only Eagles history, but in NFL history,” Sirianni said Tuesday during the NFL’s Annual League Meeting.
“One of the best centers of all time, so obviously there will be things we have to work on to replace that.
“But what’s great is these guys have been with Jason for three, four, five, six, seven years, and so we’ll see who that is (replacing him) in the middle, we’ll see who that is on the right guard.
‘But I know we have a lot of good pieces. We have Landon (Dickerson), Lane (Johnson), two guys who are Pro-Bowlers and have been for a few years, Lane has been for a long time.
“Jordan Mailata has played a lot of good football, Cam Jurgens got a lot of good minutes last year and we’ll see how the rest plays out.”
Sirianni was also asked about the possibility that Tyler Steen, drafted by the Eagles in the third round of last year’s NFL Draft, could be an option to join the offensive line now that Kelce is gone.
“Stone has many different qualities,” he said. “He’s versatile and I think he can do a lot of different things. So when you get guys that are versatile, there’s flexibility with what you can do with them, which piece goes where.
‘But we’re excited about him. Obviously, I feel and how everyone feels that Coach (Jeff Stoutland) is going to get the best out of these guys, and Tyler is going to benefit from that coaching.
“Tyler will also be an advantage because he is a very good player who we got in the third round. Excited about his development, some of the minutes he got last year.
“I think he’s a good option and we’ll see what happens.”
