Carson Steele made the most of his increased workload on Saturday night in the 24-21 loss to the Patriots.
Steele, who was originally listed as a fullback earlier this offseason, beat out Eagles receivers to lead the team in receiving yards with 84 yards and a touchdown on just six catches. In total, Steele accounted for 117 of 301 offensive yards for the Eagles.
"I had a blast," Steele told reporters after the game. "Some people say I am a fullback. Some people say I'm a running back. I'm here to do whatever.
"Any way the team really needs me ... whether it's running the ball, pass game, stuff like that, even special teams, just got to go out there and try to make a guy miss."
The Patriots took a 10-7 lead over the Eagles with just less than three minutes left in the first half. The Eagles would have to act fast if they wanted to get into scoring position before halftime.
On the first play after the two-minute warning, quarterback Tanner McKee connected with Steele on a short swing route at the Eagles' 41-yard line. Steele caught the ball in-stride and ran up the right sideline for a 16-yard gain and a first down. That wasn't it though, as Steele drew an unnecessary roughness penalty while being forced out of bounds, sending the Eagles to New England's 28-yard line.
The Eagles looked Steele's way again on the next play with a comeback screen. After making a move on a Patriots linebacker with a cut inside, Steele rushed full-steam ahead for the first down, hurdling Patriots cornerback Brandon Crossley at the marker and landing on his feet before finally being taken down.
"I didn't think I was going to get up there," Steele joked about his hurdle. "Any way you need to make a (defender) miss, that's kind of my go-to."
Just two plays later, the Eagles took the lead before halftime with a McKee touchdown pass to wide receiver Britain Covey. Steele's touchdown would come later in the second half.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles found themselves down again, 17-14. It looked like the Eagles' offense had stalled after a series of penalties, but the team had a sign of life after a 17-yard completion from McKee to wide receiver Erik Ezukanma to get the Eagles back to a third-and-5 at the New England 20-yard line.
Now, the Eagles just needed to convert and they turned to what worked all game: Steele on a screen. McKee found Steele wide open around the 20-yard line, with more space in front of the running back than just a first down. Closing in on the corner of the end zone, it seemed as though Patriots safety Eric Butler was going to force Steele out of bounds.
At least, that's what you would think.
Steele leaped over Butler into the end zone, giving the Eagles a 21-17 lead following Jake Elliott's extra point with less than four minutes left. While Steele's efforts weren't enough for the Eagles to come away with the win at the end, the Eagles' running back certainly made the most of his usage.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get the win, but we executed a lot more things. (We) definitely took our game up a level from last weekend and just got to keep progressing from there," Steele said.
The former Ball State and UCLA running back referred to himself as a Swiss Army knife post-game, saying how he is "a little bit of everything." Not just a running back or fullback, but also a special teamer.
So, will we see the Swiss Army knife attempt a backwards hurdle anytime soon like teammate Saquon Barkley?
"Man, I don't think I can do any backwards stuff like that just yet," Steele laughed when asked about Barkley. "But, being able to work with him every day, it's been a true blessing."
