Bryce Brown wants to carry his share of the load for Eagles

He got to carry the ball only three times, and on two of them he gained zero yards. But it was that third carry that got the Eagles’ attention. Rookie running back Bryce Brown ripped off a 33-yard run in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Steelers, and that’s the kind of impact the Eagles want from their seventh-round draft pick from Kansas State.

“Bryce is a really smart kid,’’ Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “He’s picking things up well, and he’s a big, physical kid. He’s got good speed and good moves and we got to see that [vs. the Steelers].

“It’s important, though, that he continues to fine-tune himself as we go here,’’ Reid added. But I would tell you he was one of the positives coming out of the game. I thought he did a nice job.”

And if he continues to do a nice job he’ll have a job in September. But even though he’s played well in camp and in the first preseason game -- he caught two passes for 16 yards -- and appears to have a lock on the third-string job, Brown also knows he was just a seventh-round pick, and he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I have to keep my eyes straight ahead, keep my focus on the job at hand,’’ Brown said. “And that’s every drill, every rep, every time I step on the field. I know what I can do, but now I have to show them.”

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSSportsNFLPHI.