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Eagles TE Trey Burton begins offseason work with new number and salary jump that shows growing role

Trey Burton changed his number this offseason, and also his salary. Expect him to play a role in the offense.

When the tight ends went through drills, No. 88 was getting a lot of work – not No. 47.

That's because Trey Burton changed his number this offseason. He now wears one more suited for a tight end.

"I got to choose it," Burton said. "I didn't get to choose 47."

The number switch is notable because when Burton was assigned No. 47, it was because the team didn't view him entirely as a tight end. He was considered a running back then, too, and he needed a number that would satisfy both duties. Entering his fourth year in the NFL, the traditional tight end number shows how much his role has grown with the Eagles.

Burton's offseason didn't just include a number change – it also included a salary change. The Eagles placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Burton during the offseason, a notable investment in the former undrafted rookie. Burton signed the tender, which pays $2.746 million. However, it's not guaranteed until the start of the season, so Burton still speaks with the job insecurity that helped him earn a roster spot in 2014. He's interested in inking a deal that will ensure he's in Philadelphia beyond this offseason.

"It's not guaranteed – they can cut me whenever they want to," Burton said. "I would love to work out something long-term, but that's not really my decision."

Don't expect the Eagles to cut Burton, who will have a role in their offense.

Burton had been almost exclusively a special teams player in his first two seasons before taking on more offensive duties last season. He had 37 catches for 327 yards and one touchdown in 29 percent of the offensive snaps. Burton's carved a valuable role as a move tight end – he doesn't need to play just in-line, and can stretch to the slot or even out wide.

With offensive upgrades this season, he does not know what his role will be in 2017. He gave the standard line of fulfilling whatever responsibilities the coaching staff asks of him. The 2016 playing time indicated he's the Eagles' No. 2 tight end over Brent Celek, and he should continue to have more work than Celek on passing downs.

But with Zach Ertz ahead of him, Burton's role is mostly limited to two-tight end sets, depending on Ertz's health. With upgrades at wide receivers and the potential to use multiple running backs, that formation will be used situationally in 2017. If Burton and Ertz are on the field together, the Eagles must play with only two wide receivers and one running back.

Those decisions are still months away. For now, the Eagles are seeing what they have in practice. And the high tender shows that they value Burton.

It also helps that Burton developed a close relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz. The two formed an off-field connection last year that translated into games, and Burton has caught many passes from Wentz since Wentz arrived in Philadelphia. Burton already sees improvements from the quarterback in Year 2.

"In my opinion, it looks like he has a little bit more on the ball than he did last year," Burton said. "That might be because he had rookie mini-camp and had tons of rep and might be a little tired last year, but to me, it looked like he had more on the ball."