EAST RUTHERFORD -- Ed Eagan wasn't yet on an NFL roster last Thursday.

A week later, he was running with the Giants' first-team offense in practice and catching passes from fellow uptown New Orleans native Eli Manning with his childhood buddy Odell Beckham Jr. partly responsible.

Life moves fast, and in unexpected ways, during the preseason.

"I knew that I was going to come in and work, wherever they needed me, and work hard and learn as fast as possible," Eagan said. "It's a great franchise. It's my fourth one, and I really like how they work here.

"I feel I'm a workhorse. I'm just going to come in here every day and try to bring energy to the team, at receiver or returner, wherever they need me at."

The Giants signed Eagan, a one-time undrafted free agent out of Northwestern (La.) State, when their receiving corps was mildly banged-up. It's now a full-on MASH unit.

Beckham (ankle) and Brandon Marshall (shoulder) almost assuredly won't play again in the preseason, and Dwayne Harris (upper body soreness) and Tavarres King (ankle) likely won't play in Saturday's Snoopy Bowl VII against the Jets as well.

The attrition at the position has opened the door for Eagan, a slot receiver and return man by trade, to take more snaps than anyone first assumed he would - especially with the first group. The Giants' receivers will get healthy eventually, so Eagan remains a longshot to make the 53-man roster. A strong showing in the meantime could help him secure a spot on the practice squad, though.

"I'm a versatile guy," he said. "I can do different things, so I just step in and do whatever they need me to do."

Eagan said he recalls the Giants showing interest in the run-up to the 2016 NFL Draft. Eagan participated in the Senior Bowl - a major pre-draft event for the Giants - and was Northwestern State's career leader in receptions (177), receiving yardage (2,228), all-purpose yardage (5,651), kickoff returns (125) and kickoff return yardage (2,922).

Eagan ended up signing with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, followed by preseason and practice squad stints with the Bills and Browns. Before signing with the Giants, Eagan had a tryout with the Colts at their rookie minicamp as well.

Eagan's first day with the Giants was the first time he met Manning. He and Beckham are more familiar with each other. Eagan went to Holy Cross High in New Orleans; Beckham to Newman School. The friendship between the two started before high school, Eagan said.

"We were friends growing up, we used to always throw the football and stuff. It's pretty cool that we're on the same team," Eagan said. "It's definitely a plus since he's 'that guy.' It's good for him to mentor me, and also I can help him out a little bit with things."

Did he foresee everything that has become the full Beckham experience back in the day?

"A lot has changed since high school," Eagan said with a smile. "But it wasn't anything that surprised me."

TALK IS CHEAP: Reviewing Giants vs. Browns, looking forward to Jets

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud or iHeartRadio.

James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.