Former Eagles pass rusher Brandon Graham stuck up for his former teammate Bryce Huff and explained why Philadelphia wasn’t a great fit for the Niners’ newest pass rusher.
The San Francisco 49ers boosted their pass rush last Friday after acquiring Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Bryce Huff, who had previously excelled under Robert Saleh during his stint with the New York Jets.
We can debate what matters more for Huff, whether that’s reuniting with Saleh or playing in the right scheme. According to Huff’s former teammate, Brandon Graham, Huff was never a fit for Vic Fangio’s scheme.
Graham shared his thoughts on Ross Tucker’s podcast:
“I just think with the Jets, it was just that defense, man. I know what it’s like playing in that 4-3, Wide-9, go get it. Every play, it’s always stop the run on the way to the quarterback. That’s the slogan in that type of defense. I feel like it’s all scheme. I mean, I’ve seen different guys flourish in different systems, and then you see him get in another system, it’s different, and what they asked of [Huff this year, it just wasn’t a great marriage, I would say.”
Per Sports Info Solutions, Huff had 89 snaps last year where he rushed the passer in a Wide-9 technique — that includes the 13 snaps he played for Philadelphia in the postseason. Under Saleh in 2023, that number nearly tripled to 240, which was the eighth-most of any player in the NFL that season. For reference, Nick Bosa was second in 2023 with 449 rushes from a Wide-9.
Graham continued:
“Because I know Huff can rush. I see him doing all that, but sometimes it’s just different with the type of scheme and what people ask of you and what they want you to be able to do. And maybe it just wasn’t that for Vic Fangio…I just know that [Huff’s] a baller, man, and hopefully for him, I want it to be a win for the team and a win for him. In this case, I’m going to be happy if it’s here or somebody somewhere else for him to be able to show what he can do in these prime years for him.”
One of the main takeaways from Graham sticking up for Huff above was saying he’s still in his prime. Remember, Huff just turned 27 in January. He’s one year removed from a career season, and it’s not like 2024 added tread to Huff’s tires.
Sacks don’t do Huff’s 2023 season justice. Filtering pass rushers from the Wide-9 in 2023, Huff was seventh in QB hits (Bosa was first) and eighth in pressures (Bosa was second). When viewed from a percentage standpoint, Huff led the NFL in pressure percentage at 23 percent.
If you can get that kind of production with the Eagles paying half of Huff’s salary in 2025, this will go down as a massive steal for the Niners’ defense. Best of all, Huff won’t be asked to be the “Batman” of the defense, which was the case in 2023 under Saleh.
Huff was still productive among players lining up in a Wide-9 technique in 2024. He finished with the ninth-highest pressure percentage (17.9) of players with at least 15 pressures. But he only had 89 snaps, so there wasn’t an opportunity like there was in New York. That’ll change in San Francisco.