Bowen: WR Turner making strong case with Eagles

FOOTBALL IS about so much more than measurables. It's about what you do with the chances you get. This is a trite lesson by now, but it's driven home every preseason.

For the Eagles this summer, the wide receiver who has made the biggest splash is undrafted rookie Paul Turner, an unimposing 5-10, 193-pounder from Louisiana Tech, who ran a 4.55 40 on his pro day.

"He's just one of those guys who does everything right," quarterback Sam Bradford said. "He's always in the right spot. He always finishes tough, contested plays - obviously the catch he made the other night down the sideline was fantastic - but he's one of those guys who each day just seems to get a little bit better."

Bradford was referencing Turner's one-handed, back-shoulder catch for a 23-yard gain down the visitors' sideline at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field last Thursday, the catch of the preseason so far from an Eagles group that hasn't presented a whole lot of contenders for that honor.

Josh Huff also had an opportunity to make a sideline catch Thursday, on an out pattern. Huff got open, the ball was well thrown. It clanked off his hands.

Huff, unlike Turner, was a third-round draft choice in 2014, the 86th player taken overall, from Oregon, and he wasn't chosen that high just because the Eagles' coach at the time was Chip Kelly. The team lists Huff as being an inch taller and 13 pounds heavier than Turner; Huff has the corded torso of a bodybuilder, though he has said he doesn't spend a lot of time in the weight room. His 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine was 4.46, a much more exclusive ZIP code than 4.55. As a rookie, Huff ran an opening kickoff back an Eagles-record 107 yards for a touchdown against the Titans.

While one of the main narratives of training camp and the preseason has been Turner's strong bid for a roster spot, an equally important narrative has been the inability of more pedigreed receivers to move the needle. Nelson Agholor, drafted 20th overall in 2015, seems to be doing a little better, still doesn't look special. Rueben Randle, drafted 63rd overall in 2012, seems to be showing he is who the Giants thought he was when they let him walk into free agency after the 2015 season - a guy with every tool except competitive fire. And then there is Huff, 27 Eagles games under his belt now but still no defined role, no clear identity.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson spoke Monday of getting Huff "more touches, more reps" this week, as the Birds face the traditional regular-season dress rehearsal, the third preseason game, Saturday at Indianapolis. It will be widely inferred that Pederson is trying to make a decision on whether to keep Huff, who has just three catches for 13 yards through two preseason games, along with one kickoff return, for 39 yards. Turner leads the Eagles with nine catches for 78 yards.

Huff has played 38 offensive snaps in the two games, working mostly with the starters and second team. Turner has worked with everybody; he leads the offense with 79 snaps. Of course, the preseason is largely about evaluating new guys. But after that, it's about some of the old guys showing why they deserve to stick around.

"I just want to come out and show what I can do; on offense, hold onto the ball, and make plays," said Huff, who fumbled in the Tampa game. "I've just got to continue to work and put my head down . . . Just make plays, that's all. Nothing more and nothing less. Just make plays."

"Huff's obviously one of our really explosive options. He's got a lot of speed, he has the ability to make big plays for us," Bradford said. "I think we just have to find the right ways to get Huff the ball, because he's shown that with the ball in his hands, he's a dangerous playmaker."

Consistency has eluded Huff. His tendency to make a spectacular play followed by a terrible one was noted in predraft reports, and it has become his signature as an Eagle. At this level, sporadic brilliance earns you only so much. Precision, focus and mental toughness are more durable qualities.

"I just gotta do what I do best, just go out and not worry about what other people say, just go out and play ball," Huff said.

Turner might lack Huff's explosiveness, but no one doubts his focus or resolve.

"It's all about confidence and mindset," the Eagles' top wideout, Jordan Matthews, said when asked what has made Turner such a training-camp success. "Before we even get to height, weight, any of that stuff, it's, 'What kind of mindset does a guy have when he comes into a game?' and P.T. . . . He's always had a great mindset. He's always very calm. He'll make a great play, he'll act like it didn't even happen. He just goes right back to the huddle. That's just who he is - it's innate.

"We don't know all about his upbringing or the way he was raised, but you can tell he was raised right. He was raised in a way that, 'Hey, good things are going to happen, bad things are going to happen, but you just have to keep going.' I think that's what enables him to do so well."

Turner left LSU for Louisiana Tech in part because he was stuck behind future stars such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, but more, he says, because his grandmother in West Monroe, La., needed his help.

At Louisiana Tech, Turner was closer to West Monroe than he was in Baton Rouge, 30 minutes in a car vs. three hours. His grandmother, he said, suffering from kidney failure, "needed someone there to help lift her, get her in and out of bed . . . I was able to drive back and forth and help out when I could. That just made everything easier on my family, especially with my parents working so much."

Turner's father, Carl, is a West Monroe police captain. His mother, Paula, is an accountant.

"I wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for the things our parents instilled in each and every one of us at a young age," said Turner, who has an older brother and a younger sister. "I truly value what they brought to the table and how hard-working they are. That's what's made them so successful in life. That's why I hope to be like them when I grow up."

One of Turner's friends at LSU who stayed in touch was Bennie Logan, now an Eagles defensive tackle. Logan said he isn't surprised to see Turner doing well.

"He was always a guy with talent and potential, he just worked hard," Logan said. "(LSU is) constantly bringing in five-star guys. It wasn't that he couldn't play or he wasn't a hard worker . . . He kind of fell behind the sticks.

"He's definitely one of those guys that has a story, and a chip on his shoulder, coming in undrafted and undersized."

Is Turner surprised to seemingly be competing on even footing with so many bigger, stronger, faster, more heralded receivers?

"Not really. I just think this is something I expect out of myself," he said. "I'm really hard on myself, and I really expect a lot of myself. I know what I can do."

@LesBowen

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