Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff felt like he was ‘wasting reps’ before wrist surgery

For three games, Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff essentially tried to win at hand-to-hand combat with some of the biggest professional athletes in major sports with one hand. He injured his left wrist in warm-ups before the Eagles played the Jaguars on Nov. 3. And for that game and the next two, every time Huff would engage with an opposing tackle, he would feel a sharp pain.

He wore a cast that limited the use of his fingers. Huff said he tried to find ways to get more use out of his left hand, “but it was just to the point where I really couldn’t use my hand.” He had surgery to repair a torn ligament on Nov. 21 and was later placed on injured reserve.

The Eagles, after Huff missed the minimum four games required by IR, opened his 21-day practice window earlier this week. He was a limited participant in practice this week and remains out for Sunday’s Eagles game in Washington.

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Huff, who the Eagles signed to a three-year, $51.1 million contract this offseason, said he felt like he was “wasting reps” before he and the Eagles decided to get the surgery. It was frustrating, he said, because he felt like he was starting to play better football.

Huff had a career-high 10 sacks last season with the New York Jets but has not been nearly as effective in his first season with the Eagles in Vic Fangio’s system. Huff has just 2½ sacks in 10 games with the Eagles.

Huff’s placement on IR happened just days before Brandon Graham suffered a season-ending triceps injury. The Eagles have almost exclusively used a three-player rotation of Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt since Graham went down. They are hopeful, of course, that Huff can be more impactful upon his return to the field. The three-man rotation has been working, but the Eagles will need depth and could use Huff at his best in the playoffs.

Huff wore a brace this week during practice and said he will continue to wear it for the rest of the season. It’s mostly there for support, Huff said.

“It’s a lot more functional because I can use it now and use my hand to grab,” he said.

The Eagles play in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Northwest Stadium.