Clay Harbor knew what people were thinking, including Philadelphia Eagles coaches. He knew they marveled at his ability, but shook their heads over his inconsistency. And he was determined to change that perception.

“My goal in camp was to give the coaches confidence in me on a consistent basis,’’ Harbor said on Thursday, “and I think I did that.”

Harbor has been one of Brent Celek’s backup the last two seasons. In two seasons the fourth-round draft pick from Missouri State caught just 21 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was labeled with the inconsistent tag, and it didn’t help that last year when the NFL’s offseason program was wiped out by the lockout.

Being able to work with position coach Tom Melvin over the winter seems to have paid off as Harbor was one of the stars of training camp and the preseason. He showed so much improvement as a receiver and a blocker that the Eagles will probably go with more two tight end formations than they have in the past.

“Absolutely,’’ offensive coordinator Marty Morhinweg said. “We’ve got two outstanding tight ends and we’ll use all of our players’ strengths. And that certainly would be one of them.”

Still, Harbor knows that nothing is guaranteed and he has to continue to show he’s worthy of the extra playing time and the responsibility that goes with it.

“In the past, I had showed what I could do in flashes,’’ he said. “Now I want to prove to everybody that I can play at a high level all of the time. And you don’t earn that kind of respect in one or two practices or one or two games. You have to do it over the course of a season and that’s my goal.”

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