Brackett, a member of the practice squad during Weeks 10-17 of the 2011 season, was signed to a contract a couple of weeks ago. He has his shot. He plans to make the most of it after an up-and-down rookie campaign in the NFL.
While much of the NovaCare Complex is quiet -- save for the football operations department working upstairs on the blueprint for the year ahead, and for the players working with the athletic training department coming back from injuries -- Brackett gets his work in, on his own, in the weight room. He is putting in three days a week, sometimes four, understanding that he has to be bigger, stronger and faster to make it on the Eagles' 53-man roster next season.
"There is a reason I wasn't on an active roster this year," said Brackett, who grew up in Mercer County, N.J., about 30 minutes away from the NovaCare Complex up I-95. "There are definitely things I need to work on. I'm here to get better."
Brackett was a high school quarterback, then a wide receiver at Penn State and now he's trying to make it in the NFL as a tight end. He wasn't drafted in 2011, but he signed on with Miami and was lost in the sea of no-chancers in the work stoppage-shortened preseason. Miami waived Brackett, who then joined Jacksonville's practice squad.
The Eagles grabbed in later in the season.
"The coaches liked the way I caught the football in practice and now they want me to work on some of the intricacies of being a tight end. I need more size, more strength. I need to learn about the position, about how to use my technique better, my footwork, things like that.
"I'm excited for the chance, so I'm going to give it everything I have. Being here for a year was a great chance to learn about the game and the position. Brent Celek, he does everything so well. He's a great player. He blocks well, he catches the ball and he runs great routes. Clay Harbor has a different element to his game, so I had a chance to learn watching him, too.
"I had a lot of mental reps. I ran the scout team in practice and did pretty well there, so now it's time to take my game up another level."
Brackett is good sized at 6 feet 5. He needs a bit more bulk to his 246-pound frame, but the athletic ability is there. He runs well. He catches everything.
Now he just needs to learn to put it all together, overcome the odds, and make the Eagles' roster.
"I understand the speed of the game and I picked up on things like how the defense sets up its coverages in the NFL as opposed to how it worked in college," he said. "The tight end in the NFL is different than it used to be. You need to be able to get down the field. You see it in the playoffs, about how much the tight end can impact an offense and about how much the tight end position has evolved in terms of the vertical passing game. There are a lot of great athletes playing tight end. You have to be able to stretch the defense and put pressure on the safeties and force a defense to cover them.
"It's a great position for me. I'm pretty athletic and hopefully I can bring something to the offense."
Brackett said he wants to play between 250 pounds and 255 pounds, as long as he can maintain his speed. His strongest asset is the ability to run and be athletic.
For now, Brackett wants to put everything into making the roster. Day by day is how he is taking things.
"I lived out of a suitcase last year, so when they asked me about a contract I was thrilled," he said. "I feel like I have some stability and I have a chance, and that's all I can ask for at this point. I know the scheme, so that's a plus. I've gone from being a rookie in a camp that had no OTAs and having an offense thrown at you in three days and being told you had to go out and play, to now being in a system that I understand.
"I was able to learn the offense by doing it, by working on the scout team, by taking mental reps and by working in the film room and working with the coaching staff. I have my opportunity and I have to make the most of it."
