With the San Francisco 49ers parting ways with multiple veterans on the defensive line after a disappointing 2024 season, many fans were wondering what the team would do to fill those voids.
The 49ers got to work in the 2025 NFL Draft, using three out of their first picks to address the defensive tackle and EDGE spots. Given the talent at those spots, those rookies could make an immediate impact.
However, the 49ers still needed another veteran piece, specifically on the edge, to help out star pass rusher Nick Bosa. Luckily enough for San Francisco, the perfect option was available on the trade market.
To start this month, the 49ers acquired veteran pass rusher Bryce Huff from the Philadelphia Eagles, who is coming off a down year in 2024. San Francisco hopes that Huff can rebound in the Bay Area as he’s reunited with Robert Saleh, who coached him in New York.
On Wednesday, Huff met with reporters and told them that San Francisco was one of the places he had in mind as a potential trade destination, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The veteran pass rusher also briefly discussed his tenure in Philadelphia.
New #49ers DE Bryce Huff said he had a few places in mind he would have liked to land as he expected a trade during the offseason. San Francisco was one of them. As for how it ended in Philly, Huff said:
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) June 11, 2025
"I learned a lot about myself throughout that experience, but it just…
“I learned a lot about myself throughout that experience, but it just didn't work out at the end of the day. So live and you learn. All I focus on is what I'm doing right now and being a 49er and doing everything I can to help."
If you are the 49ers, you've got to like the approach that Huff is starting with. Last season was one to forget for Huff, who was signed to a massive three-year, $51.1 million contract in free agency.
However, the veteran defender couldn’t get on track with the Eagles as he struggled to make an impact and also dealt with an injury. Huff had 13 combined tackles, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 12 games.
The veteran pass rusher barely played in the playoffs with the Eagles and was a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl. That said, he gets a much-needed fresh start with a new team and a coach who has worked with him in the past.
If Huff can come close to what he did in 2023 with the Jets under Saleh (10 sacks), the 49ers’ defense could easily become one of the better units in the NFL.