Is Philadelphia looking to dump one of their top free agent signings?
So, here’s an interesting thing.
Speaking during a Monday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Tom Pelissero brought up Bryce Huff’s name when talking about candidates to be moved ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline at 4:00 PM Eastern.
Here’s exactly what he had to say:
“There’s certainly going to be interest in guys like Bryce Huff, who was one of the Eagles’ big free agent signings, played all of six snaps yesterday after apparently getting his hand banged up in warmups or something. That’s a name that I think is going to get some potential action.”
Pelissero brought up Huff’s name alongside Cleveland Browns edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and New York Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari.
The obvious difference with those players is that they’re playing for teams considered to be sellers. Sitting at 6-2 after four straight wins, the Eagles are not looking to sell off pieces with an eye to the future.
Also, it’s hard to imagine Huff has great value at the moment. He’s off to a disappointing start in Philly with just eight total tackles, three quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, and one TFL in eight games played so far. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has not been shy about criticizing Huff’s run defense. And it seems like he doesn’t really trust Huff to play much; the edge rusher’s snap count percentage has dropped weekly over the last three games.
On that note, Huff was limited just six snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He first snap of the game didn’t come until late in the second quarter. After the game, Nick Sirianni was asked about his status and offered the following explanation:
“Bryce came off the field after warm-ups. Again, I won’t talk too much about injury, but his hand was bothering him, and he was getting treatment in the locker room after warmups. So, we were trying to protect him there.”
Zach Berman of the PHLY Eagles podcast mentioned that Huff didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood after the game.
On one hand, it’d be surprising if the Eagles are already willing up on a 26-year-old player they signed to a three-year, $51.1 million contract back in March. He was their first free agent move with his deal being reported before Saquon Barkley’s signing.
But maybe Fangio just isn’t going to play Huff. And so it could be best to take the L and move on. Maybe Huff could be included (as a throw in, to be clear) in a deal for another edge rusher.
We’ll see if there’s any legs to this or not prior to Tuesday’s deadline.
