Philadelphia Eagles: What was the point of claiming Jason Huntley?

Why did the Philadelphia Eagles claim Jason Huntley if they refuse to use him?

When the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they were awarded Justin Huntley off waivers mere hours after finalizing their initial 53 man roster, there wasn’t a more excited resident of the Delaware Valley than Doug Pederson.

A fifth-round pick out of New Mexico by the Detroit Lions, Huntley was reportedly a favorite of Pederson during the pre-draft process and when he became available the day prior, putting in a claim for his services was a borderline no-brainer.

Despite having a deceptive need for traditional production behind Miles Sanders, the Eagles ultimately failed to land a young back with any of their 10 draft picks, and neither of their UDFA signees, Adrian Killins and Michael Warren II, really flashed in training camp. In Huntley, the Eagles landed a 22-year-old back with a complete skill set, fantastic speed, and an added bonus of being a really good kick returner.

More from Section 215

Only here’s the thing: Huntley hasn’t played at all.

Okay, technically that isn’t true. Huntley did play a single offensive snap for the Eagles in Week 1 – running the ball one time for one yard – but in three of the subsequent four games, Huntley wasn’t even active, let alone used.

But, like, why?

Through the first five games of the season, the Eagles have given 50 percent of their total rushing attempts to Sanders, a rather alarming stat considering he was inactive for Week 1. The team’s second-leading rusher in both attempts and yardage is actually Carson Wentz, followed by Boston Scott, who has only carried the ball 19 times for 63 yards despite being the team’s Week 1 starter.

That’s… not good.

Now granted, part of the Eagles’ near-exclusive reliance on Sanders could be directly associated with Pederson’s objective animosity to actually running the ball, as the Birds are currently straddling a brutal 35/65 run-to-pass ratio, but it could also be related to just how ineffective the Eagles have moved the ball with their backup backs in the game.

Unlike Sanders, Wentz, and even Jalen Hurts, who all average over 5.1 yards-per-carry on the ground, Scott and Corey Clement have been far less successful when pushing the ball on the ground – with the former averaging 3.3 yards on 19 carries with a long of 17 and the latter averaging 2.7 yards on 11 carries with a long of seven.

Even if Huntley is nothing more than ‘just a guy’ at his position, even an average change-of-pace back shouldn’t produce such a wild discrepancy with Sanders out of the game. Considering Sanders is still noticeably not at 100-percent, the need for a capable number two who can pick up four-to-eight carries a game could be the difference between the Eagles averaging 24 carries a game versus 38 passes and a more appropriate 50:50 run-to-pass ratio.

From Weeks 2-5, Scott and Clement have averaged 3.75 carries per game combined – highlighting that when Sanders isn’t in the game for roughly 20 percent of it, the Eagles just aren’t running the ball.

Furthermore, it’s not like Huntley is just a running back.

Excluding his ability to make plays as a receiver out of the backfield, a look the Eagles use about six times a game, Huntley was also one of the better kick returning specialists in the 2020 draft class. Over four seasons at New Mexico State, Huntley returned 59 kicks for 1,521 yards and five touchdowns. Scott, the Eagles’ primary returner through the first five games of the season, is only averaging 17.7 yards-per-return with a season-high of 25.

In the broader context of the NFL, Scott ranks 16th out of a possible 16 returners with a minimum of seven returns.

Again, I’m not some fly on the wall during the Eagles’ practices. Maybe Huntley really is that bad at running the ball, catching the ball, and returning the ball, but frankly, I kind of doubt it. If the Eagles can consistently get practice squad players like T.Y. McGill, Adrian Killins, and Jason Croom snaps week-in and week-out as call-ups, why can’t Huntley see the field at all?

dark. Next. Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson need to stay on the bench

Through the first five games of the 2020 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense has been bad. Granted, they haven’t been all bad all of the time, almost no one can be in the NFL, but until they can maintain a more balanced run-to-pass ratio with a viable backup to Miles Sanders, the offense will continue to look one-dimensional and underwhelming. Why not see if Justin Huntley can be the guy to bring a little balance? Worst case, he struggles as much as Corey Clement, Boston Scott, and Adrian Killins, and the team can move on to the next, next, next man up.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles