September 06, 2020

Eagles claim RB Jason Huntley; three Eagles cuts find new homes

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

According to the NFL's transaction report, the Philadelphia Eagles have claimed rookie fifth-round running back Jason Huntley off of waivers from the Detroit Lions.

A few Eagles cuts were claimed by other teams around the league.

DE Shareef Miller, Panthers
CB Rasul Douglas, Panthers
TE Noah Togiai, Colts

Huntley was a player we profiled in our Grocery Shopping series last year. His appeal is his receiving ability out of the backfield, as well as his added versatility as a returner. His career numbers at New Mexico State:

Jason Huntley	Rush	Yards	YPC	TD
2016	40	167	4.2	1
2017	71	435	6.1	1
2018	109	505	4.6	7
2019	154	1090	7.1	9

And as a receiver:

Jason Huntley	Rec	Yards	YPC	TD
2016	8	35	4.4	0
2017	39	363	9.3	2
2018	47	529	11.3	3
2019	40	192	4.8	2

Huntley had 59 career kick return attempts in college, averaging 25.8 yards per attempt, with 5 TDs. Oddly, he didn't have any punt return attempts, which is curious considering his impressive acceleration, start-stop traits, and ability to catch the football, as you'll see in his college highlights:

At his 2020 pro day, Huntley measured in at 5'8, 190, and he ran a 4.40 40. He should immediately be in the mix to return kicks for the Eagles.

The Eagles will have to waive a player to make room for Huntley. As for the Eagles' releases who were claimed by other teams:

• CB Rasul Douglas: The Eagles seemed willing to move on, and it was likely Douglas would land somewhere.

• DE Shareef Miller: Again, when you cut a guy who was a fourth-round pick a year ago, there's a decent chance some other team will see what he can do.

• TE Noah Togiai: This is perhaps a player the Eagles should have kept on the 53, and will regret cutting. Togiai showed legitimate promise, and the Eagles likely thought they'd be able to bring him back to the practice squad.

CB Sidney Jones went unclaimed.