It’s impressive enough that Trey Burton caught two touchdown passes against the Packers at Lambeau Field Saturday night.
It’s even more impressive that he did it with a broken finger.
Riley Cooper was praising Burton in the locker room after practice Monday when he revealed that Burton — a fellow Florida graduate — is so tough he didn’t miss a snap at practice or in the Packers game, despite a broken thumb.
“He’s got a broken thumb and he had two touchdowns,” Cooper said. “He’s tough as nails. Those things go unnoticed, but it’s part of the game, it’s part of what we do.”
Wait, what?
Burton’s injury had indeed gone unnoticed because he hadn’t missed any practice time or any game time, but he confirmed that he broke his right thumb during the Eagles’ preseason game against the Ravens nine days ago.
Asked why he continued to play instead of taking time off to let it heal, Burton smiled and just said, “No reason.” Meaning there's no reason to miss any time now, with opening day two weeks away.
Burton said the injury won’t require surgery, and he said he doesn’t think he’ll have any trouble playing with it.
Burton is the Eagles’ third-leading preseason receiver with seven catches for 57 yards and the two TDs against the Packers Saturday.
With Zach Ertz out throughout the preseason, Burton — a former undrafted free agent — has established himself as a solid pass-catching tight end (see story).
Burton made the NFL's All-Rookie team last year as a special teamer, but he's expected to have a much bigger role this year on offense.