The San Francisco 49ers ended up trading a fifth-round pick for Bryce Huff to the Philadelphia Eagles. While Huff remains under contract for another season, he, like many others on the Niners defense, has zero ties to new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
The 49ers wanted Huff to complement Nick Bosa and take the pass rush to levels it hadn’t been to in a few seasons. Unfortunately, the team lost Bosa and first-round pick Mykel Williams to season-ending injuries.
Huff did his job. We cannot make
that clear enough. Huff generated more than twice as many pressures and quick pressures as any other player on defense this past season. He also had twice as many pressures on third down as the next closest 49ers defender.
The 49ers wanted him to be their Robin, but injuries forced Huff into a Batman role. Huff failed to record a sack on third down, and despite having a respectable pressure rate, the lack of finishes, combined with subpar run play, diminished his value.
So what do the Niners do this offseason? The revolving door opposite Bosa is never-ending. Huff just turned 28, but when you’re a pass-rush first player on a team with a run-first mentality, you could see why the team would want to move on from him.
First, you have to look at the depth chart. Bosa and Williams are the starters. After that, you have Sam Okuayinonu and Keion White. Yetur Gross-Matos is a free agent, while Robert Beal Jr. is a restricted free agent.
Second, you have to convince yourself that you can upgrade from Huff. The good news is that there is no guaranteed money remaining on his deal that would void after next season. Huff’s contract is also structured so that the Niners can release him without any dead money. They’d save $5.39 million by releasing Huff and wouldn’t have to use either one of their post-June 1 cuts.
I’m sure Nick would rather that $5 million go to his brother Joey, who just played 15 games and is a free agent. The elder Bosa had five sacks, but generated 52 pressures.
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There are other free agent options that could tempt the Niners and Morris. They would all likely be around the same price tag, so it’s a matter of fit and whether the front office believes Huff is worth it for one year at his current price.
The 49ers going a draft without adding a pass rusher doesn’t feel right. If the team believes they can find a Huff replacement at some point during draft weekend, then we have the answer to our question.
What do you think? Should the 49ers release Huff and use that money on an edge rusher in free agency, or swing big for a trade, or use a draft pick? Or will we see him in a Niners uniform in 2026? Scroll down and let us know in the comments while you put on John Lynch’s hat.
