Eagles Audition Two
- The Eagles took a look at wide receiver Kenny Lawler and fullback Chris Swain, tweets Caplan.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: C Dalton Freeman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Marcel Jensen
Eagles Promote CB Aaron Grymes
Eagles coach Doug Pederson told reporters that cornerback Aaron Grymes will be signed to the 53-man roster (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). He will be active on Sunday against the Falcons. 
[RELATED: Ex-Eagles WR Josh Huff Earning Significant Salary With Bucs]
A couple of days ago, Pederson indicated that Grymes and wide receiver Paul Turner were in play to be promoted to the 53-man roster to fill their final spot. Ultimately, Eagles coaches decided that they needed the extra cushion in the secondary rather than at WR. The addition of Grymes gives the Eagles three reserve cornerbacks behind starters Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin. McKelvin has been dealing with a hamstring issue as of late and Grymes’ promotion might not be a great sign for his Sunday status.
Meanwhile, the team will continue with four receivers on the 53-man: Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Bryce Treggs. The Eagles toyed with the idea of adding a receiver to replace Josh Huff following his release, but they instead have decided to activate Treggs on gameday and use running back Wendell Smallwood as their return man.
Grymes, a former CFL standout, has been on the Eagles’ practice squad since late October. The 25-year-old is hoping to see his first taste of NFL regular season action this weekend.
Eagles Looking At Options For Final Roster Spot
- As the Eagles look to fill their final roster spot, coach Doug Pederson told Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com that wideout Paul Turner or cornerback Aaron Grymes could be possible candidates for the opening (Twitter link). Grymes, a former CFL standout, has been on the Eagles’ practice squad since late October. Turner, an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech, has been on the practice squad all season.
[SOURCE LINK]
Buccaneers Sign Josh Huff To Practice Squad
The Buccaneers have signed wide receiver Josh Huff to the practice squad, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Huff was cut loose by the Eagles last week following his arrest. 
Huff made headlines for all the wrong reasons this month when he was pulled over for speeding and found with a firearm and marijuana. Huff is supposedly licensed for the gun in his home state of Texas, but New Jersey does not cross-honor permits from other states.
The wide receiver faces charges for gun possession without a permit, possessing a magazine with six hollow-point bullets, and “a disorderly persons offense” for having less than 50 grams of pot. Given the tough gun laws in N.J., Huff could even face separate charges for each of those six bullets.
The NFL is looking into Huff’s incident, but until their investigation concludes, he is free to play just like anyone else. The league may wait until Huff’s legal situation is resolved before taking any action and that would mean that he could avoid punishment until 2017.
49ers Wanted Third-Rounder For Torrey Smith
- La Canfora confirms that the Eagles and 49ers had multiple discussions about a potential trade that would send Torrey Smith to Philadelphia, but the two sides could not agree on compensation. The Eagles would have sent a fifth-round selection back to the Bay Area in exchange for Smith, but the 49ers would not consider anything less than a third-round draft choice. Likewise, the Jets were asking for a “very strong return” for Sheldon Richardson, which some executives believe meant a first-round pick.
Eagles Notes: Huff, Roseman, Pederson, Turner
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com gave his thoughts on the Eagles‘ release of wide receiver Josh Huff. Huff clearly made a huge error in judgement when he was pulled over with a gun and weed this week, but Shorr-Parks notes that it will be tough to replace him as a kick returner and a gunner on special teams. On the other hand, Huff has not done much for Philly as a receiver, so his presence will not necessarily be missed on offense. He also points out that Huff’s arrest is much more serious than the Nigel Bradham incident from earlier this year. Bradham was licensed to carry a weapon in Florida but he made a boneheaded move by forgetting to take it out of his bag before flying. Huff, meanwhile, was not licensed to carry in New Jersey.
Here’s more on the Eagles:
- Eagles coach Doug Pederson seemed to indicate recently that the team would be playing Josh Huff against the Giants on Sunday, but he clarified his remarks with reporters today. “Let’s go back and kind of relive the events; I said we were going to get more information, we were going to make a collective decision, and that’s what we did,” Pederson said, according to Les Bowen of The Inquirer. “You heard Howie [Roseman’s] comments yesterday, and I truly believe that’s the right way to handle this, is to dialogue, have communication, and do the best thing for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
- Pederson indicated that wide receiver Paul Turner won’t be promoted to the active roster before Sunday, as Shorr-Parks tweets. Turner, who has been on the team’s practice squad since the start of the year, seemed likely to get the bump after Huff’s release. Instead, it sounds like Philly will roll with Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Bryce Treggs at wide receiver. Running back Wendell Smallwood should handle the bulk of kick return opportunities.
Josh Huff Apologizes To Eagles
Wide receiver and kick returner Josh Huff, who was released today by the Eagles, issued the following statement to ESPN’s Adam Caplan: “First, I want to apologize to Mr. Lurie and his family, my coaches and teammates, and all Eagles fans. I’m sorry that any action by me brought negative light to this organization. I want to thank the Lurie Family, Howie, this community and the entire Eagles organization for the opportunity I’ve had for the past 3 years. Most important, I want to let the fans and community as a whole know that I understand the responsibility I have as a professional athlete, and I will take all measures necessary to correct mistakes I have made.”
- Could 49ers head coach Chip Kelly reunite with Huff? Kelly previously coached Huff at Oregon and with the Eagles, but he says that he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to pore over the details of the wideout’s arrest. Kelly also hasn’t gotten to speak with GM Trent Baalke, who was on a scouting trip this week, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I have no idea what happened,” Kelly said. “I haven’t followed any of it. I know he got arrested two days ago, but I haven’t followed any of it.” Ultimately, Kelly says it’s too soon to say whether he’d have interest in signing Huff.
Eagles Release WR Josh Huff
The Eagles announced that they have released wide receiver Josh Huff. 
Yesterday, coach Doug Pederson indicated that Huff was likely to play on Sunday against the Giants. However, the team has decided to cut ties with the Oregon product instead. After Huff was found with a gun that he was not licensed to carry in New Jersey along with six hollow point bullets, the Eagles have reached the logical conclusion on the matter.
Although he’s a talented player, Huff has not performed exceptionally well since entering the league as a third-round choice in 2014. Even as the Eagles’ receiving corps struggled this season, Huff found himself a distant third on the WR depth chart behind Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor.
Huff’s release should open the door for Dorial Green-Beckham to have an increased role on offense. It also seems likely that Bryce Treggs, now the de facto No. 4 WR in Philadelphia, will be active on Sunday. Running back Wendell Smallwood previously split kick return duties with Huff, but he will probably be the sole kick returner starting this weekend.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman is scheduled to address reporters shortly and he is expected to make a statement regarding Huff’s release.
Latest On Eagles WR Josh Huff
Yesterday, Eagles wide receiver Josh Huff was pulled over for speeding on the Walt Whitman Bridge. When cops inspected his car, they found that he was in possession of a gun and marijuana. The arrest could have major legal ramifications for the 25-year-old while also impacting his NFL future. 
The major issue here is that Huff is not licensed to carry a weapon in New Jersey. However, lawyer Fortunato Perri Jr. tells The Associated Press that he is licensed in his home state of Texas. New Jersey has strict gun laws and does not cross-honor permits from other states, but Huff’s attorney is going out of his way to make the distinction and probably feels that it will help his case.
For now, Huff faces charges for gun possession without a permit, possessing a magazine with six hollow-point bullets, and “a disorderly persons offense” for having less than 50 grams of pot. Given the tough gun laws in N.J., Huff could face separate charges for each of those six bullets.
Coach Doug Pederson told reporters today that Huff will be available for Sunday’s game against the Giants until they got more information.