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Trey Burton finds niche as Eagles' third tight end

When the Eagles released James Casey, who served as a third tight end in addition to special-teams duties in 2014, Trey Burton knew there was a chance for him to seize that role - if he could, and if it still existed. Neither of those things was guaranteed.

Eagles tight end Trey Burton.
Eagles tight end Trey Burton.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

When the Eagles released James Casey, who served as a third tight end in addition to special-teams duties in 2014, Trey Burton knew there was a chance for him to seize that role - if he could, and if it still existed. Neither of those things was guaranteed.

"This season was a little different mind-set for me," said Burton, who was a rookie last season and became a dependable, if unsung, special-teams performer. "It's all about not feeling complacent. I definitely want to make an impact on this team both offensively and special teams-wise. It all goes back to taking the opportunities given to me."

In anticipation of what he needed to do, Burton added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and worked on his blocking techniques. If he was going to get on the field in Casey's role, which involves some nasty aspects, he knew he had to get bigger and meaner. What he didn't anticipate was the sports hernia injury suffered by Zach Ertz that gave Burton extra snaps and extra looks during the preseason.

He has done pretty well with the added time, catching seven passes for 57 yards in the exhibition games, including two touchdowns Saturday against Green Bay. Touchdowns, it might be added, that came despite playing with a thumb that was broken the previous week against Baltimore.

"When Zach went out with the injury, boom, I had to step up. It was great for me, but you don't wish an injury for anybody, especially Zach, who is an unbelievable guy," Burton said. "But with him out, I had to mature a lot faster and understand the offense more."

Burton's path to this point, or even to his position, wasn't always the straightest. He was on the all-SEC freshman team in 2010 after scoring 12 touchdowns while putting in time at quarterback, running back, tight end, and wide receiver. That put him third on the all-time freshman touchdown list at Florida, behind only Jabar Gaffney (14) and Emmitt Smith (13).

That start seemed to ticket Burton for stardom, but he bounced around from position to position, getting less chance at running back and finally settling in at wide receiver by the time he was the senior captain of the team. His size left NFL teams unsure of where he fit in the pro game and he was undrafted.

The Eagles signed him as a free agent and special-teams coach Dave Fipp took over his development. Burton earned a spot on all the special-teams units and was part of two touchdowns off blocked punts. He returned a punt blocked by Casey for a touchdown against the Giants, and he blocked a punt against San Francisco that was recovered in the end zone by Brad Smith.

On offense, he never got much of a chance, and that was no surprise. He filled in at running back when Darren Sproles was injured in an October game against New York, rushing five times for 10 yards. This season, however, that could change. Casey got 170 offensive snaps as the third tight end in 2014 and caught two touchdown passes. If that progression is what is in store for Burton, he'll take it.

"He's another guy in year two. He obviously stood out here as a special-teams player and that's why we kept four tight ends, even though we had Zach and Brent [Celek] and James. But Trey was an integral special-teams player for us," Chip Kelly said. "We also felt like we could develop him after we released James and I think you're seeing that. I think he's good with the ball after the catch. He's got really good hands. He has a great understanding of what he's doing and he's still relatively new to the position."

At 245 pounds, Burton is legitimately sized for a tight end now, and he still has the athletic gifts that served him as both a running back and a wide receiver.

"It's really about staying fast. If I get up to 250, it depends on how I feel running," Burton said. "I'm extremely confident in my game and how far I've come, but I've got a ton of things to work on. I came in thinking I'd be running with the threes, but with Zach down I've been with the twos and sometimes I've had reps with the ones. It's been great for me."

Burton should get more snaps and more opportunity Thursday night against the Jets, but his performance throughout the preseason, particularly those two tough touchdown catches in Green Bay, has pretty much assured him of an expanded role this season.

"He gives us nice depth at the position," Ertz said. "We lost James, and Trey has come in and stepped up and carved out a little world for himself. It's exciting to see the next step for him."

It's still a long way from stardom for a guy who looked very close to it at one point in his career. But he's getting there, one precious snap at a time.

@bobfordsports