What did the 49ers trade to the Eagles for Bryce Huff?
It’s not often that the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are on the same side of things. That changed this week when the two sides agreed on a trade that would send defensive end Bryce Huff to the 49ers in exchange for draft compensation.
Huff, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Eagles last offseason, struggled to fit in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense, recording only 2.5 sacks in 12 games.
Prior to the trade, the Eagles restructured Huff’s contract, prompting the 49ers to take on a $7.95 million salary for the 2025 season to reunite the pass-rusher with his former head coach, Robert Saleh.
Initially, the return was reported as a mid-round pick, which led to speculation: What exactly was that pick? Well, that news has come to light: a 2026 conditional fifth-round selection, according to CBS Sports’s Jonathan Jones.
The fifth-round pick can turn into a fourth-rounder depending on various performance benchmarks, so the Eagles could get a bump in compensation if Huff plays like the 49ers hope he will.
San Francisco is notably expected to have compensatory picks in next year’s draft after losing quite a haul of free agents this offseason. Those selections could hover around the fourth or fifth round, so they will likely have extra assets in either of those rounds to trade.
Huff will now be tasked to do what he does best in Robert Saleh’s scheme: rush the passer. During his breakout 2023 campaign, Huff only played in 42 percent of the defensive snaps. But, he was a mainstay on third downs and racked up 10.5 sacks to go with 68 pressures.
The 49ers have a much different defensive line room now, adding Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and C.J. West in the draft. That came after the team released Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd earlier in the offseason, so they’ve infused their room with youth and now added some pass-rush to complement Nick Bosa.
The third-down packages will be the most intriguing part of this unit. Huff seems like a certainty to see snaps off the edge in pass-rushing situations alongside Bosa. Williams has that unique length and good size to kick in on passing downs. So does Yetur Gross-Matos.
So, there’s quite a bit of flexibility with the group overall, but the 49ers will need to find a way to stop the run and put their best players on the field together. They’ll get a chance to start figuring that all out when mandatory minicamp begins in less than two weeks.
But, for now, they’ve officially traded for Huff, giving up a conditional fifth-round pick to do so. His production this season will make-or-break the deal, although it seems fairly low-risk with the price.