Philadelphia Eagles must add Jason Huntley to 53-man, Week 1 roster

As the Spring and Summer rolled along and Philadelphia Eagles OTAs and mandatory minicamps eventually led us to a very interesting training camp, most of the position battles were huge talking points, with the exception of the defensive line of course. We’ve long known what that will look like.

One of the things we weren’t 100 percent certain of was what the running back depth chart would look like. There was plenty of debate. There’s no way that they let Jason Huntley go right? He’s their best returner! Would Elijah Holyfield finally get his shot? Why is Jordan Howard still here? What do they see in this guy? Might they actually keep five running backs? That would be ridiculous right?

August eventually gave way to September, and when the Birds released their initial 53-man roster, there was an interesting wrinkle. They only had three running backs when the expectation was that they’d at least keep four.

Jason Huntley needs to be on the Philadelphia Eagles active roster come Week 1.

By now, you’re well aware of what the Philadelphia Eagles roster looks like and who’s on it. Upon its release, Jordan Howard and Jason Huntley had been left off of the roster when it seemed that the fourth slot on the depth chart would belong to whichever man won the battle for that fourth spot, but they were brought back as members of the practice squad.

Now, there are two ways that you can look at this. One, the Birds may not be totally interested in either guy, and they could add someone else later. They don’t have any other running backs on the scout team. Second, they could just marry themselves to the idea that they’re fine with Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell.

They could simply elevate Howard or Huntley if they need someone during the season. That isn’t the most ideal plan, but it’s realistic. How about this? Why not just put Huntley on the roster?

He had a strong start to camp but was hampered by a ribs injury later on that railroaded him. That injury doesn’t appear to be so serious that Philly seems to be interested in adding him to the team’s injured reserve, so why not? He’s clearly a better option at this point of his career than Jordan Howard is, and he might be the Eagles’ best returner.

This still doesn’t cure a looming problem that the Birds have had for some time (they still don’t have a workhorse to grind out tough yards and salt games away late), but for now, Huntley clearly appears to be the best option. The free-agent market features Todd Gurley who passed his prime relatively quickly (and a couple of years ago).

When all sides are weighed, this one seems to be very easy to argue. Jason Huntley must be on the Eagles