What started off as a rough offseason quickly turned into an aggressive one for the San Francisco 49ers. Extensions for Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner lock-in their core pieces for the foreseeable future while the selection of guys such as Mykel Williams give the team young stars who can make immediate impacts. But that didn’t stop the 49ers from going after seasoned veterans.
In early June, the 49ers made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire edge rusher, Bryce Huff, giving the Niners a proven veteran to pair alongside star pass rusher, Nick Bosa. And since Huff has joined the team, and taken part in offseason workouts, head coach Kyle Shanahan has raved about what his addition has meant to the franchise.
Shanahan’s Comments
Despite struggling to find his rhythm during his first three seasons in the league, Huff proved that he has superstar potential during a breakout 2023 season– recording 10 sacks in 17 games with the New York Jets. During that campaign, Huff played for current 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh and now that the two are reunited, the hope is that Huff can reestablish his superstardom.
But what really excites Shanahan about Huff’s addition is how he reminds him of a former 49ers star who was pivotal during the early portion of the team’s 2019 Super Bowl season– fellow pass rusher, Dee Ford.
“I just like Bryce. I think he affects the quarterback,” Shanahan said. “When you talk about just getting off the ball and how fast he does it, he’ll be our best get-off-the-ball guy we’ve had since Dee Ford. So in terms of that, it’s good to beat tackles that way, but it also widens tackles to help with the inside pass rush and things like that, and he affects the quarterback.”
Ford only played in 11 games during that season, but he recorded 6.5 sacks and during the playoff run, he had a sack in three games played.
Huff’s fit with the 49ers
Despite Huff’s breakout season in 2023, he regressed dramatically in 2024 during his one season with the Eagles– recording only 2.5 sacks in 12 games. But even though he had a rather unimpressive campaign, Shanahan still went all-in on getting Huff, believing that the scheme that Saleh runs will give Huff the chance to shine again and give the 49ers exactly what they need.
“He just didn’t fit as well in their scheme, and just what they do schematically and stuff,” Shanahan said. “I think they wanted to go a different direction with stuff. Their outside guys drop into coverage and things like that, being the 3-4 base, and that’s something we really never do, so it’s a little bit different.”
If Huff pans out, then the 49ers’ defensive line has the potential to wreak some serious havoc and be among the league’s best. As good as Bosa has been, the team has been unable to find a long-term complement for him and with Huff being only 27-years-old and Williams being only a rookie, they very well may have found that guy.
