Jason Huntley Seems Like a Doug Pederson-Type RB

With no preseason games to lean on the Eagles relied on their homework from the NFL Draft when it came to Jason Huntley and the waiver wire.

PHILADELPHIA — With no preseason games to lean on, the Eagles relied on their homework from the NFL Draft when it came to Jason Huntley and the waiver wire.

The undersized but speedy former New Mexico State star had caught the eye of Andy Weidl and his staff back in the spring so when Detroit moved on from its fifth-round pick, Philadelphia felt the need to at least kick the tires to add some depth to a 53-man roster that initially included just three players at the position: Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Corey Clement.

“He was a player that we had actually targeted back in the draft and through the draft process,” said head coach Doug Pederson on Monday. “He was on our draft board with many guys but obviously he caught our eye back then when we were evaluating running backs.”

What stands out about Huntley (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) is his 4.37 speed, a constant theme for Philadelphia in the offseason.

After watching the offense grind it out on far too many occasions in 2019, the Eagles were intent on getting as much speed as possible on the field whether that meant adding Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins to a receiving room that also gets DeSean Jackson back from a core-muscle injury or the addition of Huntley to a RB room with 4.4-like juice in the form Sanders and Scott.

It's unlikely Huntley will be part of Pederson's preferred RB-by-committee approach at least early in the 2020 campaign after spending the offseason with the Lions but he could be thrust into the mix as a kick returner especially with Reagor dealing with a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out of a game or two.

"We're definitely excited about getting him in the building," said special teams coordinator Dave Fipp on Tuesday. "Obviously, we've seen all his film. We talked about him through the draft process. So we're excited about Jason, whether or not you just plug and play, man I can't really answer that.

"But we're excited to get him out on the practice field to see what he does for us."

At New Mexico State, Huntley piled up 2,197 yards on the ground and another 1,119 receiving yards. As a returner, he brought back five kickoffs for TDs.

During his senior season, Huntley also proved he could handle significant traffic despite his size, running for 1,090 yards, and nine touchdowns to go with three receiving scores.

The ability to help as both a runner and receiver is something Pederson prefers in his backs.

For now, Huntley fits in as a bridge player at the back end of the roster, along with the Eagles other options at RB on the expanded practice squad: bangers Elijah Holyfield and Michael Warren, as well as Adrian Killins, also an undersized speed threat in the mold of Huntley.

“He’s joining a really talented room,” Pederson said. I"t’s a good group and a group that can be kind of interchangeable throughout the week.”

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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