This is Year 3 for Nathan Gerry in an Eagles uniform, in a position totally foreign to him from his collegiate days, and he feels at home. With the Eagles. In this defense. As a linebacker.

Gerry, all built up to 235 pounds after weighing 212 pounds when the Eagles used a fifth-round pick on him in the 2017 NFL Draft, says he's ready to play his best football.

The timing is perfect, right? Nobody knows exactly how this is going to play out, but with the Eagles set to open the preseason schedule on Thursday night against visiting Tennessee (7:30 p.m., NBC10, full coverage on PhiladelphiaEagles.com and official app at 7 p.m. with the Kickoff Show presented by Axalta), Gerry is the team's middle linebacker and, yeah, he sees this as an opportunity to audition for the vacant position.

"I feel like I'm able to make the calls out there and I feel like I'm trusted to play with confidence and play faster," Gerry said after the team's practice on Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex. "I've put in a lot of work in the film room and in the weight room to earn that trust. The thing about the NFL is that you have to be consistent and do the right things over and over and over again. I think a lot of my teammates can see that. I've learned a lot about that from those guys, so they see the work I've put in.

"I'm looking forward to playing Tennessee. I've seen enough of our offense and our guys. It's time to see something different."

Gerry knows that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is looking for him to make the right verbal calls to the rest of the defense and to make sure everyone is lined up correctly and is on the same page. The pre-snap challenges are, then, significant.

Once the play is live, Gerry has to get to the football. His added weight and strength have helped him shed blockers and free himself to make plays. Against Tennessee, which employs a power running game, Gerry is going to have to play some downhill football.

He can't wait for the whistle to blow.