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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff will undergo left wrist surgery Thursday, coach Nick Sirianni confirmed, a procedure that is expected to sideline him until the latter stages of the regular season.
“He’s really done a good job of battling through, but this will hopefully help him get some more function in that hand,” Sirianni said.
Huff posted 10 sacks for the New York Jets last season but has had a disappointing start to his time in Philadelphia. He has posted 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits through 10 games, well short of expectations that came with the lucrative three-year, $51 million free agent contract he signed this offseason.
He has been wearing a cast on the wrist for the past couple weeks. His playing time has dipped since the injury cropped up, averaging just 11 snaps per game over the past three weeks compared to 28 snaps over the first seven games.
Former first-round pick Nolan Smith has started four of the past five games at left edge in place of Huff and has seen an uptick in production after a quiet rookie season. He has 3.5 sacks on the year — all of them coming after the team’s Week 5 bye.
Smith’s role will likely increase along with rookie third-round pick Jalyx Hunt, who played a season-high 25 snaps Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys.
“We really like this room. We love Bryce … but we feel good about the depth we have here and some of the young guys [on the team],” Sirianni said.
Josh Sweat (6 sacks) and Brandon Graham, 36, (2.5 sacks) will continue to lead the edge group.
The Eagles’ defense has flourished under coordinator Vic Fangio. They rank first in yards allowed (273.1 per game) and sixth in points allowed (17.9), helping Philadelphia to an 8-2 start.
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