Josh Huff Signs with Buccaneers After Arrest and Release from Eagles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added Josh Huff to their practice squad less than a week after he was released by the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced Monday.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network first reported the news.

"I'm very fortunate and I'm very blessed. At the same time, mistakes happen. Lessons are learned," Huff said, per Stroud.

Huff, 25, was released last week after he was charged with having marijuana and an unlicensed firearm in his vehicle. 

"I'm a professional athlete. What professional athlete don't have a gun?" he told reporters Wednesday, saying the gun is registered in Texas. "I have a wife and I have a son at home, and my job is to protect them at all costs. My job is to protect myself as well."

New Jersey, where he was pulled over, requires Huff to have an in-state registration. The full nature of his charges are yet to be released, but an illegal weapons charge in New Jersey carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. It's unclear if prosecutors will have any leniency on Huff because of the out-of-state registration.

Huff denied ever bringing the weapon onto Eagles team facilities.

"I'm not Gilbert Arenas, bro," Huff told reporters. "I'm not going to bring a gun on the premises. I'm not going to bring a gun and put my teammates in jeopardy or anything. That's not me. It's solely for protection."

A third-round pick in 2014, Huff has not made much of an offensive impact in his three NFL seasons. He had just 13 receptions for 72 yards through the first seven games and made most of his contributions as a member of the Eagles special teams.

The Bucs in all likelihood have a plan to bring Huff onto their 53-man roster once he is acquainted with the playbook. Injuries to wideouts Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy have left the team thin at the position and relying on a series of unproven young players. Adam Humphries has provided some help as an underneath option, but Mike Evans has been Jameis Winston's only reliable target almost all season.

If Huff can catch up quick, perhaps he'll be able to contribute down the stretch. Either way, it will be interesting to see how he and the Bucs navigate the receiver's pending criminal charges.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.