With the uncertainty surrounding the health of top wideout Jordan Matthews, Eagles coaches have been searching for reliable targets after a season in which the pass catchers led the NFL with 37 drops.
Undrafted rookie wide receiver Paul Turner has led the team in catches and receiving yards in each of Philadelphia’s first two preseason games. This morning, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was once again complimentary of the unlikely standout battling for a roster spot.
“He’s caught our attention,” Pederson said. “If we get the opportunity, I’d love to see him against quality competition, the starters, and just see what he can do. He made two really big catches the other night.”
The Eagles had sensational catches by players on both sides of the ball last Thursday, most notably when cornerback Aaron Grymes channeled his inner Willie Mays by throwing up one hand to corral an over the shoulder interception in the corner of the end zone.
“You saw Nelson [Agholor] make a couple great catches, Celek had some catches." Pederson said. "We missed on a couple more penalties, obviously that hurt us. It kept us from some of those big gains to Darren [Sproles]. There’s a lot more to it than having some guys who can stretch the field, I think scheme can also be a part of what we do offensively and utilizing our personnel to our advantage to create those matchups.”
The Eagles again looked alarmingly undisciplined in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, committing 12 penalties for 96 yards totaling 22 infractions for a whopping 188 yards through two preseason games. The big gain from Sproles which Pederson was referring to was negated by a holding penalty on rookie left guard Isaac Seumalo. Despite the bad timing of his foul, Pederson likes what he sees from the Oregon State product.
“Isaac’s really put himself in a good position to help us offensively," Pederson said. "I felt like he’s getting better with every snap and every rep. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but at the same time he’s done an outstanding job.”
Philadelphia's offensive line looked drastically improved against Pittsburgh after allowing four sacks in the opening half against Tampa Bay nine days ago. This morning, Pederson shed some light on one of the steps offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland took to help nullify part of the unit’s learning curve heading into his first season.
“We left a lot of the terminology the same for those guys, so the terms for those veterans are the same," Pederson said. "Isaac [Seumalo]’s such a smart guy that it’s really second nature for him. For them to have a full half of football, and then get more work this week will be even better going into the season.”
The Eagles will practice at the NovaCare Complex this afternoon at 1:30.
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
Patrick Del Gaone is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Del_Gaone.
