Philadelphia Eagles: Call up Jason Huntley for Week 12

Once upon a time, Jason Huntley looked like a lock to make the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 53 man roster.

A surprise waiver wire claim who spent the entire 2020 season on the active roster, Huntley transformed himself from a deep bench reserve who only recorded six total touches in five games with zero starts to a very legitimate challenge for a surprise roster spot, despite being at best the team’s fifth running back on the depth chart.

Was that a tad unrealistic? Maybe so, but Roseman kept five running backs to very good results in 2017 and has about a dozen defensive backs on the active roster right now, so it’s not unprecedented.

Could the former fifth-round pick out of New Mexico State and his blazing fast 4.37 40 time beat out the odds and provide the Eagles with an additional offensive weapon and a legitimate weapon in the return game?

No. Huntley and his fellow running back foil Jordan Howard were unceremoniously waived coming out of camp, and the Eagles seemingly forgot that they could run the ball more than 10 times a game with running backs for the first two-ish months of the season.

But hey, these aren’t your October Philadelphia Eagles; not anymore. Between the team’s newfound appreciation of picking up yards on the ground and their need for a playmaker on special teams, the timing might be just about perfect to call up Jason Huntley and give him a shot on the field versus the New York Giants in Week 12.

The Philadelphia Eagles should see what they have in Jason Huntley as a returner.

In college, Jason Huntley was by far the best player at New Mexico State.

A rare running back who finished out his college career with 2,000-plus rushing yards, 1,500-plus kick return yards, and 1,000-plus receiving yards over his collegiate career, Huntley transformed himself from a two star recruit coming out of high school into a fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft, even if he was drafted by the Detroit Lions and was ultimately waived before his rookie season.

Still, Howie Roseman saw something in Huntley that he liked, probably his 18 rushing touchdowns, seven receiving touchdowns, and five(!) kick return touchdowns, and kept him in the fray for the entire 2020 season.

If there was ever a week to test that mettle, it would be Week 12.

With Jordan Howard on the sidelines, the Eagles will all but surely enter Week 12 with only three running backs on their active roster – Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell – on their gameday roster. While calling up Huntley won’t magically fill Howard’s Jordan Brand cleats, as he’s a smaller back who looks more like a slot receiver than a power runner, the Eagles have been pretty good about rotating in multiple backs as of late, with all three of their active running backs receiving at least six carries versus New Orleans in Week 11.

Granted, Gainwell would likely get the nod over Huntley as both a runner and receiver regardless of down and distance, but on special teams, Huntley might just be in a league all his own.

After watching Greg Ward, Quez Watkins, and most recently Jalen Reagor all struggle to make plays in the third facet of the game, the Eagles could use a spark. Could that come by signing a player like Pharoh Cooper off the New York Giants’ practice squad? Sure, but elevating Huntley for a week is cheaper, easier, and would allow the team to fill the roster spot that will eventually be vacated by Davion Taylor once he lands on IR with a better-fitting piece.

*psst* did you know Travis Fulgham is still only on the Miami Dolphins practice squad? He sure would look nice back in a midnight green uniform considering the current state of the team’s secondary offensive options.

Eventually, the Philadelphia Eagles will return to full strength. We’ll see the team’s full array of weapons across the board and maybe, just maybe, that team will be good enough to make a little noise in the postseason. But for now, as the team attempts to retool for the umpteenth time this season, why not get a little weird with it and try something out just for the heck of it? Play Kenneth Gainwell a little bit at slot receiver, deploy dime defense versus four receiver sets, and, potentially most fun of all, elevate Jason Huntley to the active roster to take some snaps under center and return kicks in place of a struggling Jalen Reagor. I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen?