The 49ers pass rush is coming into form during training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers are underway in training camp, as they began padded practices this week ahead of their first preseason game on August 9th.
There are quite a few new pieces across the board, both on the field and with the coaching staff, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The front seven has been revamped, with Bryce Huff, Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and C.J. West joining the defensive line and vying for key roles.
Huff, the 49ers’ latest addition to the group, was traded for a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he had an unsuccessful season in 2024. The move reunited him with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whom he worked with back in 2023 when the pass-rusher broke out with a career-high 10 sacks.
How has Huff adjusted to his new team?
“I’m pretty well acclimated,” Huff said on Tuesday. “It’s camp, so we all just are grinding, just learning the scheme, and getting our routines locked down. So it’s been good.”
“[I’m looking forward to] just burn off the ball, setting good edges, and then just being explosive, making plays.”
The biggest adjustment has actually been an area of familiarity, as the pass-rusher is back to working with his hand in the dirt, which wasn’t the case in Philadelphia last year.
“Yeah, rushing with my hand down is definitely what I’m supposed to be doing,” Huff continued. “It’s a lot more physical style of ball. You don’t have to think as much. Just go out there and be an athlete and make plays, so it’s definitely a [better] fit.”
Huff will likely play a situational pass-rushing role with the 49ers, as he’s never played more than 51 percent of the defensive snaps in his career. But, he provides a different type of pass rusher to the group, giving San Francisco more weapons alongside Nick Bosa, which has been a must.
“We do have pretty different body types,” Huff said of the defensive line group. “But, it’s the same mindset—just get off on the ball. When it comes to speed rushes, burning edges, having good hands, and then when it comes to power, just being physical.”
The 49ers have showcased the trio of Huff, Bosa, and Mykel Williams on the same field at times during training camp as a part of their NASCAR package, which could be a package to watch in 2025.
It’s all a part of a goal to generate more pressure, which the 49ers struggled with at times in 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, San Francisco had the sixth-lowest amount of pressures last season.
Bosa had only 69 pressures, which was the second-lowest of his career (torn ACL in 2020), while playing in 14 games. And the numbers drastically dropped behind him, with Maliek Collins coming second at 45, according to Pro Football Focus.
Now, with more unique athletes and body types in the mix, the 49ers are hoping for better results, which is starting to show in camp.