The 49ers have added a new edge rusher in Bryce Huff, bolstering their defensive line. Huff, 27, has excelled under Robert Saleh.
Even after using the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Mykel Williams, the San Francisco 49ers began OTAs still light on depth at edge rusher.
That is no longer the case after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the 49ers are working to finalize a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Bryce Huff. The 49ers are reportedly sending a Day 3 pick to Philadelphia in the deal.
Huff signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Eagles last offseason but managed just 2.5 sacks in six starts in his lone season in Philadelphia. According to Schefter, Huff has agreed to rework his contract. His contract to help finalize the trade. Per Over the Cap, any post-June 1 trade of Huff would have a cap number of $7.4 million. That was prior to any reworking, so the Niners are likely to save some money.
Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the 49ers will inherit the final two years of Huff’s deal, owing him $7.95 in cap and cash for 2025. So, that’s the number we’ll go with.
But the 49ers will be banking on a reunion with Robert Saleh helping Huff to rediscover his best. The good news is Huff just turned 27 in January.
An undrafted free agent in 2020, Huff was a consistently impactful rotational pass rusher after signing with the Jets, and he exploded for 10 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 21 quarterback hits in his final season, parlaying that production into his huge contract with the Eagles.
Huff had 67 total pressures in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, and was third among edge rushers with at least 50 pass rush snaps with a pass rush win rate of 22.9% that trailed only Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.
There has been criticism of Huff’s play in run defense. However, it is unlikely the 49ers will place too much of a burden on him in that regard.
Instead, expect the 49ers to return Huff to a rotational role in which he will be given the freedom to attack and serve as the speed-rushing complement to Nick Bosa that San Francisco has lacked since Dee Ford’s departure.
There is, of course, no guarantee that a change of scenery and a reunion with Saleh will have the desired results. However, with the restructure of his contract, it is the kind of low-risk, high-reward bet the 49ers can afford to make.
Huff becomes the 49ers’ much-needed pass-rush specialist. He won’t have to worry about being an every-down player with the likes of Mykel Williams and Nick Bosa. It should also allow Mykel to kick inside on obvious passing downs and is insurance in case Yetur Gross-Matos doesn’t stay healthy for the second season in a row. Furthermore, it takes the pressure off Sam Okuayinonu or Robert Beal Jr. to go above and beyond production-wise.