PHILADELPHIA – Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett took the ball from an equipment manager during Thursday’s practice at the NovaCare Complex and began throwing. Standing in the end zone closest to Pattison Avenue were wide receivers A.J. Brown to his left and DeVonta Smith to his right. Pickett alternated throws to them, working to understand where each preferred the ball on specific routes.

Kenny Pickett, A.J. Brown
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) completes a catch on a throw from quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) during Thursday’s practice at the NovaCare Complex.Chris Franklin | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com

Pickett is undergoing a crash course with the first-team offense because starting quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in the concussion protocol. With Hurts missing his second straight practice and the likelihood of Pickett starting increasing, his work with the starting offense this week is crucial as the Eagles aim to clinch the NFC East title.

Running back Saquon Barkley worked with Pickett and the first-team offense and said Pickett handled Thursday’s practice “great.” Barkley added that if Pickett is named the starter, he will be ready to play.

“I think he’s been treating it like he was a starter every week, and that’s what you have to do,” Barkley said. “You never know when your time’s going to come, whether you’re the backup quarterback or you’re Fred (Johnson) or Kenny. You just never know—that’s the nature of the game. When your opportunity comes, you have to be ready for it. If that is this week, he has a great opportunity and 10 guys around him who believe in him and know he can help win this football game.”

An area of focus for the offense this week is the run-pass option (RPO), a staple of the Eagles’ system. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles have run the concept 227 times, the most in the league. When Hurts exited last week’s game, the Commanders began crashing the line of scrimmage to stop Barkley, leading to minimal gains and long third-down situations. Pickett acknowledged he may need to keep the ball occasionally to prevent defenders from consistently targeting Barkley.

“I think everyone on the planet would agree that handing it to 26 is probably our best option on the ground, but you always have to keep defenses honest,” Pickett said. “If I can pull one or take off and get eight or nine yards and hurt the defense a little bit, I’ll do it.”

Though Pickett is still acclimating to his new teammates, he will be joined by some familiar faces from training camp. Running back Kenneth Gainwell said he has seen promising signs from Pickett.

“He’s very talkative,” Gainwell said. “He’s getting everybody lined up right. It’s all about trust. We can trust him to do the right thing, and we’ll be all right. We’re just trying to go into this game and win.”

Tight end Grant Calcaterra, who developed a strong rapport with Pickett during training camp, will also be on the field with him. Calcaterra, now starting while Dallas Goedert recovers from a knee injury, expressed confidence in Pickett.

“It’s been good,” Calcaterra said. “Through OTAs and in training camp, being the second tight end, I got a lot of reps with Kenny, so we definitely have a lot of faith in him. If he’s the guy, then we’re excited about that and ready to go.”

While the skill positions often garner attention when a new quarterback steps in, the offensive line must also adjust to a new cadence, rhythm, and blocking decisions. Center Cam Jurgens said he and Pickett have been working on protections for the Cowboys, particularly with linebacker Micah Parsons posing a significant threat. Jurgens said the blocking schemes should remain “similar” to those used when Hurts is under center.

“He was just being Kenny Pickett,” Jurgens added. “He’s confident, he’s loud, and it’s really nice when a quarterback who’s not the starter goes in there and commands the huddle. Everybody knows what they’re doing. That’s why I said after the game I was proud of him. I thought he did a good job stepping in and being a good leader. We’re going to rally behind him.”