Smallwood: Paul Turner deserves spot on Eagles roster

P AUL TURNER wasn't in a position to take anything for granted.

With about 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the preseason, Turner caught a swing pass from Eagles quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and gained 13 yards before being pushed out of bounds.

Most of the fans had already left Lincoln Financial Field and, in the grand scheme, it was a meaningless play in a less than meaningless 14-6 preseason victory for the Eagles over the New York Jets.

Turner, however, played it as if it were the most important play of his professional career, because, at that moment, it was.

When you are an undersized, not overly fast, undrafted rookie wide receiver out of Louisiana Tech, there are no laurels to rest on.

It didn't matter that, since the day he was signed, Turner had done everything the Eagles coaches have asked through OTAs, minicamps and training camp.

It didn't matter that, through the first three preseason games, Turner was tied with tight end Zach Ertz with 11 receptions and led the team with 99 receiving yards.

A longshot player such as Turner survives by the moments - not the ones behind him, but the ones immediately in front of him.

For a player such as Turner, Thursday preseason finale wasn't just a throwaway exercise before the games count for real.

It was the most important moment of his young football career - possibly the determining factor in whether he will even have a NFL career.

Turner made the most of it.

"He's done everything we've asked him to do," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after Turner capped off the preseason with six catches for 66 yards, plus a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown.

"He's making it hard for us, and that's what I challenged all of the young guys to do - make it hard for us to make the decision we have to by Saturday. (Turner) has put himself in a good position. We just have to continue to evaluate and see how it shakes out."

Unless the Eagles' front office and coaching staff simply has no appreciation for the principles of hard work they preach day in and day out, Turner will make the 2016 roster.

He finished the preseason with 17 receptions for 165 yards. If versatility is one of the difference-makers for one of the final roster spots, Turner's punt return showed he has value on special teams.

If the final preseason game is truly about borderline players showing that they deserve a spot on the team, how can the Eagles deny Turner what his performance has earned?

"With (Turner), it was like the second or third day of training camp, we got in pads and he just kept getting open and catching the ball," Eagles top receiver Jordan Matthews said. "Over time, I started thinking this cat is really good.

"He doesn't look real intimidating. He could walk by you in a supermarket and you'd say, 'Oh, OK, this is an ordinary guy,' But he can get out here and play some football. I'm pulling for him to make this team. He belongs in the NFL."

He belongs on the Eagles' regular-season roster.

Matthews has been injured, but will make the roster without having taken a snap during the preseason.

Nelson Agholor, who has two catches in the preseason, will likely start with Matthews in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns because he was the Birds' first-round draft pick in 2015.

Josh Huff and Dorial Green-Beckham will make the team because they are considered young players with untapped potential.

Turner is just a guy on a minimum salary who has crossed all the obstacles in front of him to stand out.

I understand that there was a reason that Turner went undrafted.

Still, even with the amount of man power and money that teams put into scouting, guys slip through the cracks every season.

In 2009, Pederson's first year as the offensive quality control coach for the Eagles, receiver Danny Amendola was in Eagles training camp.

An undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech, Amendola had spent the 2008 season on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys.

Amendola had a good training camp for the Eagles, but did not survive the final cut. He was signed to their practice squad but was there for only two weeks before the St. Louis Rams signed him.

For the past seven seasons, Amendola, who is 5-11 with decent by not great speed, has been one of the top possession receivers in the league, with 151 of his 342 career receptions going for first downs.

Obviously, it would be a reach to claim that Turner is another Amendola.

He might be nothing more than the fifth receiver in a questionable corps of NFL receivers.

The point, however, is that sometimes the metrics of a player don't tell the entire story.

A team brings players into training camp with no promises but the opportunity to show them that they may be a NFL player.

"(Turner) belongs in the NFL," said Matthews. "I think it is evident to see. I love having him in the receiving room. I love what he brings to a team. I know he belongs in the NFL."

He belongs on the Eagles.

@SmallTerp