Eagles open the 21-day practice window for injured edge rusher Bryce Huff
Huff, who has sat out four games after wrist surgery, could be nearing a return. The Eagles could use all the pass rushing help they can get with Brandon Graham out for the season.
Bryce Huff appears to be nearing his return to the Eagles.
The Eagles on Wednesday opened the 21-day practice window for Huff, who missed the minimum four games required by his placement on injured reserve.
Huff was on the field for an Eagles walk-through on Wednesday afternoon sporting what looked to be a pretty large cast covering his left forearm down to his hand. The Eagles listed Huff as a limited participant on the injury report.
“We’ll see how the week goes,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said when asked how quickly Huff could return to game action. “We’ll see how long it takes.”
Huff, an edge rusher, had surgery on Nov. 21 after injuring his wrist during warmups before the Eagles hosted the Jaguars on Nov. 3. He played just six snaps during that game, the majority on Jacksonville’s final drive. He then played 12 snaps in a blowout win at Dallas before playing 14 vs. Washington. During those games, Huff wore a cast that limited the movement of his fingers.
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The Eagles and Huff opted for surgery in the hope that he would return and be more effective toward the end of the season and into the playoffs.
That timeline is now. The Eagles have three regular-season games left before the playoffs. The team signed Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million contract this offseason, but in the time he has been out, the Eagles’ depth at edge rusher has gotten even thinner. Brandon Graham’s season-ending triceps surgery has resulted in the Eagles relying mostly on a three-man rotation of Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and rookie Jalyx Hunt.
Huff had a career-high 10 sacks last season with the Jets but has not been nearly as effective in his first season with the Eagles in a new system. Huff has just 2½ sacks in 10 games with the Eagles.
The 26-year-old’s wrist injury came two days before the trade deadline, but the Eagles elected to let the deadline pass without making a move. That decision has been tested after Graham’s injury, but Sweat and Smith have for the most part been applying enough pressure on the edges.
The hope for the Eagles now is that a healthy Huff can be more effective in the edge rusher rotation.
“I actually think Bryce has been a good teammate for us,” Sirianni said. “He’s had moments of playing well. I thought he was really doing a good job and making some plays.
“When we are able to get him back, we’re excited to have him back in there and rolling.”
The Eagles also signed tight end Kevin Foelsch to the practice squad on Wednesday. Foelsch, who played collegiately at the University of New Haven, spent some time with the Eagles during training camp.