Texans Work Out WR Josh Huff
The Texans worked out wide receiver Josh Huff on Tuesday, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. It marks Huff’s first known audition since mid-September. 
[RELATED: Texans Have Internally Discussed Colin Kaepernick]
Huff, 26, was a third-round pick of the Eagles under the Chip Kelly administration. Last year, the Oregon product made headlines for the wrong reasons following a gun- and marijuana-related arrest. He hooked on with the Bucs, but only appeared in three games and wound up missing the Week 1 cut in 2017.
Following his release from Tampa Bay, Huff auditioned for the Saints and Jets but left both workouts without a deal.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/19/17
Today’s workout updates:
Carolina Panthers
- T Laurence Gibson; CB Tevin Homer (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)
Chicago Bears
- QBs Garrett Grayson and Bart Houston; WRs Marlon Brown, Bug Howard, Kyle Prater, Tevaun Smith, Daniel Williams, and James Wright; TE D.J. Tialavea; C Mark Spelman; T Givens Price; LBs Carl Bradford and Shayne Skov; DTs Stefan Charles, Mike Purcell, and Nick Williams (Link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Dallas Cowboys
- OLs Michael Dunn, Jake Eldrenkamp, Kaleb Johnson, and Jarron Jones; LB Tre’Von Johnson; DT Caraun Reid, CBs Chris Lewis-Harris, JaCorey Shepherd, D’Joun Smith, and Ian Wells (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News)
Green Bay Packers
- QB Jerod Evans; RB Algeron Brown; WRs C.J. Board, Alonzo Moore, and Jordan Williams; TE Ryan O’Malley; DTs Jeremy Faulk and Joey Ivie (Link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DTs Ryan Carrethers, John Hughes, and Cam Thomas (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
Kansas City Chiefs
- LB Garrett Sickels; CBs Makinton Dorleant and Ezra Robinson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
Miami Dolphins
- LB Zaviar Gooden (Twitter link via Caplan)
New York Jets
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff and Paul Turner; G Robert Myers; DL Stefan Charles, Datone Jones, Alex McCalister, and Joby Saint Fleur; CBs Malik Foreman and D.J. Killings; S Jordan Moore. (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Caplan, Balzer (1, 2) and Wilson)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Willie Beavers, Wil Freeman, Laurence Gibson, and Max Rich (Twitter link via Caplan and Balzer)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB Randall Evans (Twitter link via Caplan)
NFL Workout Updates: 9/13/17
Today’s workout updates, with nearly all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Buffalo Bills
- QB Joel Stave; WRs Chris Brown, Marlon Brown; G Oni Omoile; T Brad Seaton; CB Makinton Dorleant (Twitter links)
Chicago Bears
- DE Praise Martin-Oguike; LBs Akeem Ayers, Chris Casher, Vontarrius Dora, Jonathan Freeny; LS Andrew East (Twitter links)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Jesse Kroll; LBs Donnie Baggs, Brooks Ellis, Christian Kuntz (Twitter links)
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs K.J. Brent, Devin Lucien, KeVonn Mabon; OTs Andreas Knappe, Javarius Leamon, Jah Reid, Brad Seaton; DEs Logan Ingle, Branden Jackson (all Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Darius Kilgo (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CBs Alex Carter, Josh Thornton (link)
New England Patriots
- QB Mitch Leidner; WRs Daniel Braverman, Tevaun Smith, Jahad Thomas, Bryan Walters; LS Taybor Pepper; P Austin Rehkow (link here)
New Orleans Saints
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff, Seantavius Jones, Anthony Nash, Myles White; Gs Dallas Thomas, Andrew Tiller, Earl Watford, Cody Wichmann; LBs Akeem Ayers, Sio Moore; OT Eric Winston; CB Jumal Rolle; S Jordan Moore (all Twitter links here)
New York Jets
- RB Lorenzo Taliaferro; WRs Jaydon Mickens, Anthony Nash, Michael Rector; TE Scott Orndoff (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- LBs Carl Bradford, Tre’von Johnson, Joseph Jones, Antwione Williams; Ks Marshall Koehn, Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent (Twitter links)
Tennessee Titans
- G Kaleb Johnson (link)
Washington Redskins
- RBs Jonathan Grimes, Daryl Richardson; G Greg Pyke; (link)
Buccaneers To Release WR Josh Huff
Josh Huff is now in the market for a new gig. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), the Buccaneers have released the wide receiver.
The 2014 third-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career in Philadelphia, but he was released last season following a gun- and marijuana-related arrest. He subsequently joined the Buccaneers, where he proceeded to play in three games.
Ultimately, in 10 total games last year, Huff hauled in only 16 receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown. The 25-year-old’s best season came in 2015, when he compiled 27 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Huff also has brief experience in the running game, and he’s averaged 25.8 yards on 48 career kick returns.
Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Adam Humphries predictably lead the Buccaneers receivers depth chart, and third-round pick Chris Godwin is expected to play a major reserve role. With Huff off the roster, Bernard Reedy, Freddie Martino, or Donteea Dye could be in line for more snaps.
Extra Points: Lions, Packers, Draft, Bucs
UCLA pass rusher Takkarist McKinley visited the Lions this week, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). As a result of the shoulder surgery he underwent in March, McKinley could be on the shelf until at least July. Nevertheless, he still has a realistic chance to end up a first-round pick after breaking out last season with 10 sacks. The Lions finished with a paltry 26 – the fewest in the NFC and the second-worst mark in the NFL.
- After several years of superb drafting, Packers general manager Ted Thompson has slumped recently, writes Ryan Wood of USA Today. For instance, of the 21 players Thompson selected from 2011-13, only five are still Green Bay’s roster. Moreover, Thompson has found just three Pro Bowlers over the past seven years – a far cry from the seven he discovered during his first half-decade on the job.
- UConn safety Obi Melifonwu, Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis, Iowa quarterback CJ Beathard and Ashland tight end Adam Sheehan are four draft prospects who could hear their names called quicker than expected, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Melifonwu and Davis are already potential first-rounders, so it’ll be particularly interesting to see how high they go.
- Buccaneers receiver Josh Huff‘s arrest last November on an unlawful possession of a weapon charge won’t lead to jail time, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Huff, who accepted a conditional plea, will instead get six months’ probation. The Eagles released Huff after his arrest, which occurred in New Jersey, and he quickly signed with the Bucs. Huff ended up appearing in three of their games and catching three passes for 41 yards.
Bucs Promote WR Josh Huff
The Buccaneers announced that wide receiver Josh Huff is being promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. Huff hasn’t been in an NFL game since October when he was with the Eagles.
[RELATED: Bucs Place Cecil Shorts On IR]
Huff, a third-round pick in the 2014 draft, was cut from the Eagles following an arrest for gun and marijuana possession. Soon after, the Buccaneers scooped him up and signed him to the practice squad. At first, this had the look of a low-risk, high-reward type of acquisition. As it turned out, the Buccaneers actually made a significant investment in the speedy receiver. Huff was earning $31K/week on the taxi squad and that’s good coin, particularly when considering that he was making $36/K week in Philly.
Huff’s first test with his new team will come against the Saints. When he faced New Orleans last year as a member of the Eagles, he had four catches for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
The Bucs were in need of a wide receiver after placing Cecil Shorts on IR.
Bucs Giving Josh Huff Significant Money
Earlier this week, the Buccaneers scooped up troubled wide receiver Josh Huff by signing him to a practice squad deal. It turns out that he is getting paid a lot more than your average practice squad player, a likely indication that there was competition for his services. The Buccaneers are paying wide receiver Huff $31K/week to be a member of their practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That’s a solid paycheck, especially when considering that he was making $36K/week on the Eagles’ active roster. 
P-squad players make a minimum of $6,900 per week which comes out to just over $117K if that player is on the roster for the entire season. Taxi squad players also earn weekly paychecks during the playoffs, provided that the team makes it to the postseason. Huff’s deal with Tampa Bay is worth nearly five times the league-mandated minimum wage, so one has to imagine that other teams expressed interest in him.
Huff found himself out of work following an arrest for a gun charge, speeding, and marijuana possession. It seems likely that he will face punishment from 345 Park Ave., but the league must wait for the legal process to play out a bit before doling out a suspension or fine.
In the interim, the Bucs are evaluating the Oregon product and a promotion to the 53-man roster may not be far off.
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.
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.
NFC Notes: Huff, Eagles, 49ers, Giants
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.”
More from the NFC:
- 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.
- Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon said Thursday that he’s “obviously not” satisfied with his production in Year 1 of the five-year, $85MM mega-deal he inked as a free agent in the offseason (via Tom Rock of Newsday). Vernon, whose contract includes $52MM in guarantees, has just one sack in seven games this season, though the ex-Dolphin has been playing with a hand injury. “I would like him to be 100 percent, but I am not so sure it is there right now,” said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. To his credit, Vernon has played in just under 91 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps this year. He also ranks a solidly above-average 19th among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified edge defenders in overall performance.
- The NFL hit former 49ers defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey with a 10-game suspension on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear what led to the ban for Ramsey, who retired in July. The 49ers chose Ramsey in the seventh round of the 2014 draft out of Boston College, but he didn’t appear in a game in either of his two seasons with the club.
- Saints first-round defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins looks poised to finally make his NFL debut this week.