Let the fun of building a practice squad begin! After yesterday’s roster-cutdown chaos, the Eagles are now racing against the clock to build their 16-man practice squad. The first step, after bringing back some of their own, was to scour the waiver wire for value. Enter former Lions running back Jason Huntley.
The Eagles came out of yesterday’s moves with just 3 running backs on the roster. There is a chance that they’ve struck gold in terms of value if they decide to push Huntley on he active roster.
Originally a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, the Eagles were able to put in a claim and poach him before the Lions had a chance to place him on their own practice squad. Behind Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, and Bo Scarbrough, making the roster was always going to be tough for Huntley, but he appeared to have a good first offseason given the circumstances.
The Eagles already look to have brought back Holyfield and Killins after neither were able to make the roster. Adding Jason Huntley into the mix is an interesting call as he has a very similar skillset to Killins.
At 5’9, 183 lbs, the scatback has a game built on speed (shock). In fact, he was faster than any other RB at the combine (4.37 40-yard-dash), even pipping Adrian Killins to the post for the fastest Eagle award. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry during his final season at New Mexico State, tallying 2,187 yards across 4 seasons along with 18 rushing touchdowns and a further 7 through the air – tick the versatility box.
The Eagles may also seek value in the return game. He led the NCAA in kickoff return touchdowns in 2018 (3), ending his collegiate career with 5 overall.
With the new practice squad rules, don’t be surprised if the Eagles protect Huntley throughout the season in hopes of grooming another underdog running back.
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
