Is Josh Huff's Roster Spot Secure?
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles were the talk of the NFL, after striking a trade with the Tennessee Titans to acquire second-year wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. The move for DGB came as a shock to me, but I wasn't surprised at the move as a whole, given our need at wide receiver. Aside from Jordan Matthews, the Eagles receiving corps was borderline non-existent. With Matthews on the sidelines since early August, the Birds have been giving extended opportunities to second-year wideout Nelson Agholor, third-year speedster Josh Huff, fifth-year veteran Reuben Randle, fifth-year receiver Chris Givens, and undrafted rookie Paul Turner. Based on the move for Green-Beckham, it's safe to say that the coaches haven't been impressed to this point with the current crop of receivers.
Following the move for Green-Beckham, it appears that the crop of wide receivers had a feeling that management was trying to send a message -- step up your game. Rookie Paul Turner heard the message loud and clear, as he did his best to leave a lasting impression on coaches during last week's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turner caught all three of his targets, for a total of 44 yards. His stat line may not seem all that impressive, but it was this incredible one-handed catch that left an impression on many people.
Aside from Turner's amazing catch, no other receivers stood out. Agholor took steps in the right direction, catching two of his three targets for 30 yards. Chris Givens didn't see any passes come his way, Reuben Randle caught both of his targets for 10 yards, and Dorial Green-Beckham didn't tally a catch on two targets. Quite possibly the least impressive wide receiver of the crew was Josh Huff. Huff only caught one of his two targets in last week's for a five-yard gain, with that lone drop coming on a potential touchdown pass. This was the latest in a long line of errors by Huff, that have led many to question the safety of his roster spot.
The 24-year-old Huff was the Eagles' third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and many fans were excited for his arrival. They believed that the former Oregon Duck (Thanks, Chip!) would make for a great slot receiver. However, he's earned the label of "disappointment" thus far. In two seasons with the Eagles, Huff has caught only 35 passes for 410 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Maybe my thinking is off here, but a third-round pick should have more production through only two seasons. It's possible that I'm just overreacting, though. Where I'm not overreacting though, is when it comes to his failure to secure passes that come his way. Huff finished last season with a drop percentage of 7.5 percent, a number that ranked 24th in the NFL among players with at least 20 targets. If you narrow things down to strictly wide receivers, Huff finished with the ninth highest drop percentage among those that saw at least 20 targets.
Last season, Nelson Agholor drew the critique of Philadelphia fans. Agholor was the 20th selection in the 2015 NFL Draft out of University of Southern California. He drew comparisons to former Eagle receiver Jeremy Maclin, a comparison that immediately gave the Eagles fans something to be excited about. However, those comparisons fell flat last season, as Agholor was far from an integral part of the Eagles offense. However, as you can clearly see from the table below, Huff's performance was not much better than Agholor's.
Name | Catches | Targets | Yards | TDs | YPC | Catch% | Drop% |
Nelson Agholor | 23 | 44 | 283 | 1 | 12.3 | 52.3 | 9.1% |
Josh Huff | 27 | 42 | 312 | 3 | 11.6 | 64.3 | 7.5% |
This season, the Eagles are likely to dedicate five, maybe six spots to the wide receiver position. Looking at the depth chart, it's pretty easy to say that both Matthews and Green-Beckham are virtual locks to make the team. Despite his disappointing performance last season, it's hard to believe that the Eagles won't give Agholor a second chance, meaning that his spot is likely safe. With three spots left, there are four receivers to fight over those spots. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich has had quite a bit of praise for Paul Turner, which leads me to believe that he's got the inside track to on of those three spots.
That leaves Chris Givens, Reuben Randle, and Josh Huff to fight over the final two spots. Given the Eagles lack of a true deep threat, I'm inclined to believe that Chris Givens will be awarded a spot on the 53-man roster, leaving just Huff and Randle to fight it out for the final spot. Neither man has been overly impressive this summer, making the decision that much more difficult to make. Both men need a strong showing this weekend against Indianapolis, and most likely another strong showing the following week against the New York Jets in the preseason finale. Nonetheless, it's pretty obvious to see that Josh Huff's roster spot is FAR from secure. He's going to have to fight his way onto the 53-man roster, a task that is proving to be tougher as the summer progresses.
