Eagles center Jason Kelce believes it’s ‘extremely important’ he attend offseason practices

Jason Kelce is 31, entering his ninth NFL season, and coming off a year when he started 18 games despite a sprained knee ligament, a broken foot, and a “torn elbow.” Three of the other starting offensive linemen are absent from practices. He doesn’t need to be at practice, crouching down and snapping the ball to Carson Wentz on a forgettable May afternoon.

Kelce understands why veteran players might opt out of voluntary workouts. But he views his attendance as essential.

“As you get older, for your own personal developmental, this isn’t that necessary,” Kelce said. “For me, though, the quarterback and the center position is where you’re involved in making the calls and very much involved in the cohesion of things. It’s not just important for me as a player, but just like being a good dad or being a good family member, sometimes being around is all it’s about. Even if you’re not getting better, just being there and building a rapport with people, I think with certain positions it’s extremely important. I think center is one of those.”

Kelce might be the NFL’s best center; he has been named first-team All-Pro the past two years. He takes particular pride in the position. Ask him about first-round Andre Dillard, and he’ll note that he doesn’t know much about playing tackle. But he’s a believer in all that goes into playing his position – from requirements between leaving the huddle to the snap, to the performance between the snap and the whistle, to the preparation away from the field.

This is not to take away from veteran offensive tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, the Eagles’ Pro Bowl bookends who have not attended the organized team activities that started last week. They’ll be on the field on Sept. 8 against Washington. That’s when their presence matters most. Kelce, who signed a one-year contract extension through 2021 in March, just views his job differently.

“There’s always value you can get, but obviously J.P. played a lot of football. Is it beneficial for him to be out here taking reps? Or is it beneficial for him to just try to and be healthy for the season?” Kelce said. “So I think there’s give and take, whichever you way you look at it. I think, for me, like I said, I play center. It’s a little bit different. I’m in charge of making calls, I’m in charge of getting guys lined up. I’m also in charge of having a conversation with the coaches of what I think are the best ways to do things, what I think are the ways that make sense. Stuff that we’re still ironing out. It’s not fair to compare what I do to those guys.”

Right guard Brandon Brooks is the other starter who’s missing this spring. He’s recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in the Eagles’ divisional-round playoff game in January and has been around the facility. Kelce is confident that Brooks will be ready by Week 1. (Kelce also noted that he’s not on the medical staff.) Regardless, three-fifths of the Eagles’ starting offensive line is not practicing. (Left guard Isaac Seumalo is the other starter present.) Kelce was unworried because “we’ve played a lot next to each other.” Chemistry on the offensive line when everyone is healthy should not be a concern for the Eagles.

The Eagles have been careful not to overuse Kelce this spring. They’ve given him reps off and held him back when necessary. Kelce said there are two ways of viewing involvement at this point of his career: There’s less chance of injury when not on the field practicing, but football activities can help avoid injuries when the workload intensifies. There’s also potential benefit to every snap in practice.

“There’s certainly tangible value whenever you’re out there getting reps – there’s always something you can learn, something you can get better at,” Kelce said. “Obviously, physically, I don’t know how much healthier or more athletic I’m going to get at this point in my career.

"But there’s always something you can learn. There’s a reason why some of these older guys get better as they play. And I think I’ve gotten better anticipating and understanding the game more. Even though I might not be as quick with the first step or something like that, the ability to anticipate and understand spacing and the way defenses line up and all that stuff allows you to play quicker mentally.”

Plus, Kelce recognizes that he didn’t work with Wentz much last offseason while Wentz recovered from a torn ACL. Wentz is a full participant this spring, and the two know the importance of their symbiosis.

Kelce said they can discuss a play as much they want while watching the film. But when it happens live on the field in a drill, it’s a different analysis. He can feel what’s around him and convey information about what happened and what should improve. Kelce called those conversations “all part of fine-tuning this thing and operating as efficient as possible.” (By the way, Kelce said he’d be “very surprised” if Wentz did not return to MVP form this season.)

Those are all reasons why Kelce didn’t exercise the “voluntary” portion of offseason workouts. He could arrive for mandatory workouts and install the offense himself if he wanted. He could continue allowing his body to recover, or go shopping with his wife in preparation for their baby who is due in September. But Kelce thinks the starting center should be at practice.

“There’s certain positions, to me, it’s important to be there and continue to build chemistry,” Kelce said. “That’s the way I function. That’s why I’m here. And I just love being here.”