Mr. Reliable

PHILADELPHIA — The message, now famously uttered during the Eagles’ most recent edition of “Unscripted,” was received, loud and clear.

“Sometimes you, sometimes me, always us,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said during a team meeting.

But while the empowering slogan perhaps best reflected the team’s recent three-game upswing, Sirianni admitted his inspiration behind the message came from a T-shirt worn by Johnny Wilson – a message that struck Sirianni as “pretty cool,” the coach said Wednesday.

“That was just one of the things I used to talk about team,” he added. “I talked a little bit about detail. I talked a little bit about toughness.”

Wilson, a rookie wide receiver, was drawn to the shirt after scrolling Instagram and coming across an advertisement that featured the shirt, which is working in collaboration with Nike.

Wilson said the saying accompanying the shirt was a sentiment that he he believes in – especially when playing a team sport – and aligned with Sirianni’s mantra that, “You can’t be great without the greatness of others.”

GETTY IMAGES: Backup TE Grant Calcaterra has emerged as a reliable midfield presence in the absence of injured TE Dallas Goedert.

But the saying, at least in recent weeks, perhaps best encapsulates the production that team has received from third-year tight end Grant Calcaterra, a starter for three consecutive weeks in place of Dallas Goedert (hamstring).

Calcaterra has performed admirably, hauling in all eight of his targets for 130 yards.

While his career-best performance occurred three weeks ago against the Browns – he amassed 67 yards on four receptions – the seldom-utilized tight end also proved to be a dependable mid-range option for quarterback Jalen Hurts against the Bengals, streaking free on all three of his catches and showcasing his downfield presence.

Moreover, Calcaterra’s involvement illustrates a budding chemistry and trust between him and Hurts.

“Grant has got a great feel for space,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s got a great understanding of the passing game. Hats off to him, hopping in here since Dallas [Goedert] went down.

“For him to take the workload, the volume that he’s taken in the run game, he’s done a tremendous job. And then still being viable in the pass game. He seems to make big plays in critical moments, and he’s very reliable, and we feel very fortunate to have these tight ends that we do.”

Calcaterra, 25, saw moderate production over his first two seasons, yielding only nine receptions for 120 yards on 13 targets. He wasn’t able to usurp incumbent Jack Stoll as Goedert’s immediate backup and was virtually invisible in his extended snaps when Goedert was sidelined.

A strong offseason, however, parlayed into a strong showing during the spring, in which Calcaterra proved to be consistent, often springing free down the seam for a flurry of receptions.

Along the way, he also appeared to be rounding into form and earning the trust of his quarterback.

It’s one thing to flash in a non-padded practice in May, though. The true measure of development would come months later, in training camp.

Calcaterra aced that test, too, reeling in seemingly every pass thrown in his vicinity, even showcasing his open field burst on several short patterns.

It not only became evident fairly early that Hurts and Calcaterra were in sync, but it also confirmed that what observers had seen was hardly a fluke, more of an indicator of a breakthrough of sorts.

And while Calcaterra’s receiving prowess was never in question, his blocking needed refinement in order to become a more well-rounded player at his position.

Calcaterra often appeared overmatched at the line of scrimmage, which presumably factored into his limited role earlier in the season.

Sure, Calcaterra will likely never be considered an imposing in-line blocker, but this season, in addition to his receiving output, he’s exhibited promising signs in the blocking department, a facet that wasn’t lost on Sirianni.

On Wednesday, Sirianni revealed that he has a photo of Calcaterra launching himself into a defensive end against the Saints, springing running back Saquon Barkley for a pivotal touchdown.

As Sirianni gazed into the press crowd at the NovaCare Complex auditorium, it was apparent how hard it was for the Eagles head coach to contain his enthusiasm about Calcaterra’s development, reaffirming what he’d seen in him when the Eagles drafted the SMU product in the sixth round of the 2022 draft.

“I think it all started with Grant when we first got him and what we liked so much about him,” Sirianni said. “I remember the rookie minicamp, Grant made some really unbelievable plays in rookie minicamp. We were like, ‘Yeah, we got something here.’ And we thought that. That’s obviously why we drafted him from his tape.

“In opportunities that he’s had here and there, he’s made the most of them. I think he just had an outstanding off-season. The OTAs portion of it, I think we started to have more and more faith in Grant because of the work he put in, because of the development he had done.

“[Tight ends coach] Jason Michael has done a great job of helping him develop. Grant has done a great job of developing himself. Dallas takes big pride in helping his teammates become better.

“And then he had a good training camp. Now he has this opportunity, with Dallas down, to have some balls thrown to him. He’s done a really nice job.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.