Josh Huff

Eagles Release WR Josh Huff

The Eagles announced that they have released wide receiver Josh HuffJosh Huff (vertical)

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. Josh Huff (vertical)

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.

Eagles WR Josh Huff Arrested

Eagles wide receiver Josh Huff was arrested earlier today, as Stephen McKenzie of CBS3 tweets. Huff was pulled over for speeding and when cops approached his vehicle, they found a gun and marijuana. Josh Huff (vertical)

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The Eagles are now gathering more information on the incident, but the league does not look favorably on reckless handgun possession. If it is found that Huff does not have a proper permit for the weapon, he may face significant legal consequences as well.

Howard Eskin of FOX29 in Philly reports (via Twitter) that Huff was also found with six hollow point bullets. Each of these bullets may lead to their own, individual charges.

Huff, an Oregon product, was a third-round pick of Chip Kelly‘s Eagles’ in 2014. This season, the 25-year-old has 13 catches for 72 yards and one touchdown plus a 98-yard kick return touchdown.

NFC Notes: Huff, Mosley, Saints, Glennon, Long

Eagles receiver Josh Huff gives his opinion on a number of the team’s offseason moves to Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. Huff, who played for Chip Kelly at Oregon before coming to Philadelphia, has an interesting perspective on Kelly’s thoughts about each move.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • After losing Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley this offseason, it was expected that the Lions would attempt to re-sign defensive tackle C.J. Mosley. The team has not pursued him yet, and Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes his suspension for marijuana possession the caused him to miss a game against the Falcons last season could be a reason why the team is hesitant to bring him back.
  • The Saints are caught in between win-now and rebuilding mode after a disastrous 2014 season. They traded away their best receiving threat in Jimmy Graham, but still have franchise signal caller Drew Brees at the helm. They are the only team with five selections in the first three rounds, and have the ammo to rebuild quickly despite their cap troubles, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
  • If the Buccaneers do select Jameis Winston with the first overall pick, quarterback Mike Glennon will become available for a trade, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. He writes if any team wants Glennon, he could be had as the team would just sign another veteran backup to replace him.
  • The Rams have yet to pursue offensive tackle Jake Long in free agency, and Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com doesn’t see the Rams or any team actively trying sign Long at this point in the offseason. Wagoner cites his injury concerns as a reason teams would not be rushing to sign the former All-Pro tackle.
  • The 49ers may have a pair of starting inside linebacker despite the retirements of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, but NaVorro Bowman is coming off an injury and Michael Wilhoite is still relatively inexperienced. Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com believes that Lance Briggs could be an interesting option to add to their depth, as he would not command big money but is looking to continuing his NFL career.

Eagles Notes: Kelly, Barner, Huff

The Eagles have a lot of former Oregon Ducks on their roster, with alumni of the Pac-12 power making up 12% of the 76-man roster after their recent cuts, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.. This includes former Panther Kenjon Barner, who the team recently traded for. Head coach Chip Kelly, who coached at Oregon previously, is comfortable bringing players from his former program.

“I like having good football players,” Kelly said. “So we think the guys we have here are good football players. There’s another 20 or 30 other Oregon guys that are in this league that are on other teams. They’re good football players.”

Here are some other notes from around Eagles’ camp:

  • Speaking of Barner, the addition of the running back has created a very crowded backfield in Philadelphia, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Chris Polk was thought of as the third back, but hamstring troubles led to the team bringing in Barner. They will both compete with Matthew Tucker and Henry Josey for roster spots.
  • Another Oregon product, rookie receiver Josh Huff, suffered an AC joint sprain in his shoulder in the preseason game against the Patriots, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Kelly is optimistic about his return, saying that he is not a candidate for the injured reserve list at this point, according to Berman (via Twitter).
  • PhillyMag.com rewatched the team’s preseason game against the Steelers, focusing on the defense. Sheil Kapadia wrote the article, and was extremely complimentary of the defensive players. Among the highlights, he noted that Brandon Graham was unblockable, first-round pick Marcus Smith was much improved, and the team was strong overall among the front seven. The corners struggled at times, but the safeties played well with the exception of Chris Maragos, who was beaten for a touchdown.

North Notes: Williams, Lyerla, Worilds

Packers cornerback Tramon Williams was a Pro Bowler in 2010, but a shoulder injury in the 2011 season opener limited his effectiveness for two seasons (despite starting 31 games). The 31-year-old seemed to regain his form last season, however, writes ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde, who quoted cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt: “Really, the last nine games – [Williams] played as good as everybody talked about 2010. From the New York game on, if you’re looking for much better play than that, you’re not going to get it from anybody in the league. Now, can we get it for 16 games and onto the playoffs and next year? I’m a firm believer if he’s healthy, we’re going to get it.”

Here’s a handful more NFC and AFC North links:

  • An NFL.com story touching on Packers tight ends recycled a May story by the Journal Sentinel’s Tyler Dunne in which Eagles rookie receiver Josh Huff said former Oregon teammate and current Packers hopeful Colt Lyerla can be better than the best tight ends in the game. That said, the position is crowded. In a recent podcast, Dunne and Fox 11-TV’s Justin Felder speculated about Lyerla’s chances, saying roster decisions might come down to special-teams utility. They also wondered aloud if trying to stash Lyerla on the practice squad — in a scenario where he is productive and trustworthy through training camp — would be too risky.
  • The Steelers were next up in OverTheCap.com’s “Best and Worst Contracts” series, and Jason Fitzgerald is very skeptical of the team’s decision to use the transition tag on outside linebacker Jason Worilds: “In my estimation, with just half of a pretty good season under his belt in four years, Worilds was looking at no more than $6.5 million per year on a long-term deal. Now with the leverage of the [$9.8MM] tender, he has limited incentive to take a reasonable deal, so they’ll likely have to overpay significantly if they want to retain him long-term. And if they don’t retain him long-term, they’ll have overpaid significantly for a single season from a player who has been mediocre at best to this point.”
  • The Steelers’ nose tackle position, most notably returning starter Steve McLendon, was previewed by ESPN’s Scott Brown. McLendon was just “OK” as Casey Hampton’s replacement last season, and “McLendon still has to prove that he is the long-term answer at nose tackle,” says Brown, “but he appears to be in a much better position to play well this season, both from a physical and mental standpoint.” McLendon, who played about a third of the Steelers’ defensive snaps in 2013, has bulked up 20 pounds in an effort to anchor better against the run.
  • The departure of Arthur Jones via free agency creates an opportunity for Ravens defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson, writes BaltimoreRavens.com staff writer Garrett Downing, who points out Tyson’s career arc is similar to Jones’.

Extra Points: Winston, Buccaneers, Eagles

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has taken out an insurance policy that would pay $8-10MM in the event of disability or loss of value, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. The policy is predicated on the expectation that Winston will be picked in the top-10 of the 2015 draft; if he is not selected in the first round due to injury or illness, the policy will presumably pay out. Though Winston has designs on spending two more years at FSU, Getlin writes that this policy makes that scenario unlikely. Premiums on coverage plans such as Winston’s are often in excess of $50K annually, meaning the Heisman winner will probably need to earn an NFL salary to pay off the fee.

  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap zeroes in on the Buccaneers’ secondary while dissecting the team’s best and worst contract, labeling Alterraun Verner‘s deal as the most team-friendly, and Dashon Goldson‘s pact as the most perilous to Tampa Bay’s cap situation.
  • The Eagles have several intriguing candidates for the return jobs on special teams, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. During minicamp, Darren Sproles was used as the main punt returner, while rookie Josh Huff was the primary option on kick returns.
  • Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell top Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com’s list of assistants who are likely to get a head job soon.

NFC East Notes: Manning, Freeman, Allen, Smith, Melton

After having arthroscopic knee surgery on April 10, Giants quarterback Eli Manning is participating in OTAs with no limitations. That’s two months ahead of schedule, notes Giants.com Senior Writer/Editor Michael Eisen, who quoted head coach Tom Couglin: “He’s so far ahead. When we started out I didn’t think I would have him for anything. We’re about two or three days into the phase two (when the offense and defense worked separately) and he’s running around. I’m trying to slow him down but he feels good. I’m not surprised at all.”

In other NFC East notes…

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke to Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network about the possibility of the NFL expanding their playoff format, and he liked the idea of more playoff teams, reports Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Jones noted that it would help his team get into the tournament, as the Cowboys have barely missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:

  • The Eagles have signed fourth-round pick Jaylen Watkins, fifth-round pick Taylor Hart, and undrafted free agent Devan Morgan, reports Jeff McClane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Hart is a defensive end out of Oregon, while Watkins and Morgan are both defensive backs. The team released defensive back John Fulton to make room on the roster.
  • Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly drafted two Oregon players this year, and both have found the transition from college to the pros smooth because of the connection, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

    “There’s things in the offense I know already,” receiver Josh Huff said. “It’s just getting things separated from the Oregon offense to the Philly offense. The play calls are different. The hand signals are different. So I have to reboot my whole system and get it in order.”

    Hart also has some familiarity with the system.

  • The Giants have just enough cap room to sign all their draft picks without making any roster move, writes Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Ranaan still expects the team to free up about $5MM by cutting David Baas in the near future..

Minor Moves: Benn, Steelers, Bucs, Chapas

  • As expected, the Eagles have re-signed receiver Arrelious Benn days after releasing him. Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but Benn’s contract was reworked in order to avoid the $1.1MM he was due this season, writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Benn, who missed last season because of a torn ACL, is not guaranteed a roster spot, however, as the Eagles added a pair of rookie receivers — second-rounder Jordan Matthews and fifth-rounder Josh Huff — to groom behind veterans Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper.
  • The Steelers have inked sixth-round nose tackle Daniel McCullers (all 6-7, 350 pounds of him) and seventh-round tight end Rob Blanchflower, per Pro Football Talk. McCullers in particular has a realistic chance of carving a niche with the team, as the mammoth nose tackle with exceptionally long arms is an ideal, two-gapping anchor if he plays to his potential. He’s underachieved to this point, however, and was drafted lower than his ability dictates for a reason.
  • Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to wait until June 2 to free up money to sign their top three draft picks, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers announced they’ve signed fifth-rounder Kevin Pamphile, an offensive tackle out of Purdue.
  • The Ravens will sign ex-Jaguars fullback Shaun Chapas, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Chapas, 26, was a seventh-round pick of the Cowboys in 2011. He had a brief stint with the Lions in 2012 and spent time on Jacksonville’s practice squad and active roster last season.