Bryce Treggs and Paul Turner had a great opportunity on Monday night to not only play against the Packers, but also play many snaps against a banged-up secondary.
They walked away with a combined one catch for 11 yards.
“There’s one football and we have tons of skill guys who are great players,” said Treggs, who caught the pass. “When I don’t get the ball, I’m not going to complain. I’m just going to run my route, because the one time that it does come to me, I need to make that play. I’m not going to press, I’m going to let the game come to me.”
Treggs played a career-high 44 snaps against the Packers and had one catch on three targets. Turner, in his NFL debut, played 24 snaps and didn’t even get targeted once.
“I just think the ball went where it went,” said Turner, who joined the 53-man roster from the practice squad last week. “For me, it wasn’t a big deal. For me, it was just an opportunity to go out there and play and play football. That’s what I wanted to do. I just think over time, things will come. My biggest thing is just going out there and doing what I can to help the team win and just taking care of my responsibility. If I focus on that, I just know everything will take care of itself.”
For two undrafted receivers, Treggs and Turner got significant playing time against the Packers for two reasons. First, Jordan Matthews hurt his ankle during the game, tried to come back, but left again.
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Second, the team made last year’s first-round pick Nelson Agholor inactive after it seemed like pressure in the NFL was really starting to overwhelm him.
How much did the Eagles miss by not having Agholor active last week?
“You know, Nelson adds some unique elements,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. “He is a great route runner and we want to get him involved when he's up and if he's up this week, whenever Coach makes that decision, we believe he can be a playmaker. We haven't hit our stride together; we, I say we, all of us together, because you know, we're all with Nelson and he's with us.”
If Agholor does play on Sunday and Matthews is able to get over his ankle injury (he was limited in practice on Thursday and had a noticeable limp), it could be bad for Turner.
All season, the Eagles have opted to keep just four receivers active on game days. Keeping five active is certainly an option, but through 11 weeks, Pederson has kept just four and has activated players with more special teams ability.
“Right now, I’m not sure. I hope so, I hope I’ll be active,” Turner said. “But like I said, at the end of the day, that’s the coach’s decision. That’s not my decision. All I can do is just go out there and practice each and every day like I’m going to be active. That’s my mindset right now and that’s my focus. If that opportunity comes, then I’ll be excited.”
Unlike Turner, Treggs has been on the active roster all season after the Eagles claimed him off waivers following final cuts. (In fact, they waived Turner and put him on the practice squad to make room for Treggs.) Despite being on the roster, Treggs didn’t get a chance to be active and play until Josh Huff was arrested and subsequently cut by the team before the Giants game.
In his first NFL game, Treggs caught two passes, one of which was a 58-yard bomb from Carson Wentz. It was the second-longest passing play for the Eagles this season.
But since that game, Treggs has gone three straight with a combined one catch for 11 yards in 68 snaps.
“I don’t think it’s tough. I’m trusting the process,” Treggs said. “There’s a lot of guys who were drafted ahead of me that are home right now and I’m still here. I’m grateful for this opportunity. I have great teammates all around. I just have to keep working. I’m not going to press, I’m just going to let everything come to me.”
