Bryce Huff’s surprise inclusion in Eagles’ preseason game vs. Patriots leads to encouraging showing

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After three weeks of lining up across from Lane Johnson on most snaps, Bryce Huff got to inhale some fresh air in New England.

The Eagles edge rusher was one of the few starters in uniform for the team’s 14-13 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night, but the chance to get some live reps against someone other than Johnson was enough to make it worth his while.

“It’s great going against Lane just because he’s such a good player,” Huff said. “He’s been in the league, dominant, for such a long time, so every rep I get against him is a bonus to my game when I’m playing less-talented people.

“But it was definitely a breath of fresh air going against new people because Lane is such a dominant player. So I was able to work different moves that normally wouldn’t work on Lane that I’d usually do against a different style of tackle.”

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Free from Johnson’s All-Pro pedigree, Huff was one of the standouts in the Eagles’ second win of the preseason and in the team’s joint practice against the Patriots on Tuesday. The 26-year-old made the first two plays of the night for the Eagles’ defense, squeezing down the line of scrimmage on the first play of the game to bring New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson down for a short gain. The following snap, Huff diagnosed a wide receiver screen quickly and tackled Patriots wideout DeMario Douglas before he could work upfield.

Although Huff said he wasn’t surprised he was called into action, his inclusion made him one of the few projected starters to suit up. the entire linebacking corps, including Devin White, Zack Baun, and Nakobe Dean as well as got playing time, as did the cornerback trio of Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo, and Quinyon Mitchell. But those two position groups are far less settled than the edge rusher rotation, a group led by Huff after the Eagles signed the former New York Jets standout to a three-year contract worth $51 million in free agency.

Huff said the coaching staff told him he’d be playing in the game along with a handful of his fellow free-agency additions to get more time on task in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.

Huff is adjusting to an Eagles scheme that requires him to play more snaps and with different responsibilities. He was a designated pass-rusher with limited usage for the Jets, who allow their defensive linemen to get upfield more aggressively with fewer responsibilities against the run. Huff said getting game reps in the Eagles system, which requires him to play with more discipline and anticipation, was a necessary trial.

“Coming from a full-on attack front to this new scheme,” Huff said. “Having to see a little more and be aware of a little more, it helps getting those extra reps in a live game with the speed of the game and stuff like that. So I appreciated those extra reps and being able to get a little more acclimated going into the regular season.”

He added: “I feel like everything is starting to slow down for me. Everything is more black-and-white versus gray. I can just see what I’m supposed to see and act on that.”

» READ MORE: Will Bryce Huff be more of an every-down player for the Eagles? Vic Fangio says it’s ‘a work in progress.’

At the start of training camp, Fangio said Huff would need to prove he was capable of being an every-down player during the summer. He played 42% of the Jets snaps last season and 51% two years prior, and primarily came on for obvious passing situations rather than having to play the run very often.

When asked if he was ready to be full-time contributor back in July, Fangio said the jury was still out.

“I think everybody thought he could,” Fangio said. “And knowing that the floor was just rush downs, but he’s taken the challenge on very well, and I do think he has the talent to do what we want him to do. It’s just he’s got to get familiar with doing it. So it will be a work in progress. Does he look like he can do it today? No. I do think eventually he will.”

Thursday’s performance seemed like a step in the right direction. Huff had three tackles before joining the rest of the Eagles’ projected starting defense on the sideline after a couple series, enough production to suggest he’s making the required progress to stay on the field for all three downs.

“He’s just going to continue to get better within our scheme,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s a good football player. It’s just learning a new scheme, learning some different things that we’re asking him to do, different techniques. Guys like that — and he works his butt off and he wants to be great, so guys like that are just going to keep getting better with the reps he gets, and that’s why we wanted to get him reps tonight.”