The Chip Kelly Era of Philadelphia Eagles football was an interesting two and a half years. Kelly, who had player personnel control, called the shots on who he believed fit into his offense. With that in mind, we saw players such as DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin all take their talents to different teams. To replace those players, especially the wide receivers, Kelly looked towards the NFL draft.
In the 2014 NFL draft, the Eagles took two wide receivers: Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt University in the second round, and Josh Huff from the University of Oregon in the third round. Looking back at that draft, many people were confused about the Huff selection, claiming it was Duck bias, which is a term meaning that Kelly would only draft or sign Oregon players fit for his system.
Kelly got his player in Huff, who he could integrate into his offense right away and be a factor. Fast forward to the summer of 2016, Kelly is in San Francisco, and Huff still hasn’t tapped into his full potential. The jury is still out on Huff going into training camp, and he has many fans wondering if he will make the team this upcoming season.
Before we can delve into the question of if he will make the 53-man roster, we have to talk about his expectations placed on him as a rookie in 2014. In the 2014 season, the Eagles wide receiver corps was composed of Maclin, Riley Cooper, and Matthews. Maclin was in a contract year, while Cooper was looking to live up to the five-year, $22.5 million contract extension he signed in February of that year.
With that, Huff’s best chance to make an impact as a rookie was on special teams. In Week 12 of the 2014 season against the Tennessee Titans, Huff showed off his return ability as he took the opening kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown.
Josh Huff. 107 yards. 6 points.
1ST PLAY OF THE DAY! #TENvsPHI http://t.co/hyzZ0fhVCz
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2014
On that return, Huff showed his vision, speed, and strength to push defenders off of him to get to the end zone. That is the type of excitement Huff can bring on special teams, every Sunday, when the opportunities present themselves.
Huff would finish his rookie season with eight receptions for 98 yards in 12 games. Heading into the 2015 offseason, it was time for him to take his game to another level. Everybody knew about his return ability, but his offense left something to be desired.
Last season was an improvement for Huff, and he showed many Eagles fans flashes of how good he can be when given the opportunity. In 2015, Huff had 27 receptions (42 targets) for 312 yards and three touchdowns. His catch percentage went up 44.4 percent as a rookie to 64.3 percent.
Huff’s best game of the season came against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. He had a career game, catching five passes for 78 receiving yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came on a blown coverage by the Saints’ defense as Huff was able to fly up the sidelines for a touchdown.
Once again, Huff showed us that maybe he could be a playmaker in this offense either in the slot or on the outside. Last season, Huff went on to play 46.5 percent of offensive snaps. That number should go up this upcoming season without the likes of Riley Cooper and Miles Austin on the roster.
But despite Cooper and Austin not on the roster, the Eagles still went out this offseason to address the wide receiver position. A lot of fans wanted the Eagles to address the wide receiver position in the draft, especially with them having the 13th overall pick at the time.
Obviously, that did not happen as the team moved up to get their quarterback of the future in Carson Wentz, and used their other draft picks to address other positions of need. Nevertheless, during free agency, the Eagles signed two veteran wide receivers in Rueben Randle and Chris Givens to one-year deals.
The additions of Givens and Randle could hurt Huff’s chances making of the roster as Givens can stretch the field, while Randle can play on the outside and inside.
Last season with the Giants, Randle had a tremendous year without no Victor Cruz. Randle had 57 receptions for 797 yards and eight touchdowns. On the other hand, Givens spent last season with the St. Louis and Baltimore Ravens. With the Ravens, he had 19 receptions for 346 yards and a touchdown.
Both Givens and Randle will push Huff for a spot on the 53-man roster. That now brings up the question of what does Huff have to do to make sure he is on the 2016 Philadelphia Eagles?
It’s a very simple answer. All he needs to do is continue to show that he can make an impact on special teams and when given a chance on offense to make positive and exciting plays. Huff has the tools to be a solid receiver in Doug Pederson’s offense. In Kansas City, the Chiefs did not stretch the field a lot but did damage on short passes. That could be Huff’s calling card right there, taking short passes and making a play.
This summer should be fun for Huff and the rest of the Eagles players as year one of the Doug Pederson regime takes flight.
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