The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a surprise trade on Friday, acquiring edge defender Bryce Huff from the Philadelphia Eagles for a reported mid-round pick. After revamping their pass rush rotation throughout the offseason, the 49ers added another talented defender into the mix.
The hope is that defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can get more out of his former player than the Eagles did last season after signing him to a three-year, $51.1 million deal.
49ers News: Bryce Huff Seems Thrilled to Leave Eagles in Latest Social Media Post
While this is certainly a risky trade by the Niners, it could pay dividends in the long run. At least one thing is clear: Huff is happy to be out of Philadelphia and will be rejuvenated once he joins the 49ers.
In fact, he immediately demonstrated his newfound happiness after the trade with his social media post, throwing up the peace sign in a caption-less self (h/t @49ers_Access).
Sometimes, a player and a team can never find the right chemistry. Plenty of signings in the NFL don't work out for inexplicable reasons. When Huff arrived in Philadelphia after his productive stint with the New York Jets, no one expected him to fall out of favor so quickly and get benched in the postseason.
Players can have different reactions to things not working out. While nobody knows what caused the friction between the Eagles and Huff, it's obvious that the 27-year-old defender had had enough. He refused to show up to organized team activities (OTAs), setting up his trip from the City of Brotherly Love to the Bay.
Before adding Huff, the 49ers addressed their EDGE needs immediately in the draft by selecting Mykel Williams out of Georgia with their first-round pick. While they expect big things from him right away, a Super Bowl contender can never have enough quality pass rushers in the rotation.
After letting Leonard Floyd walk in free agency, the 49ers needed another veteran pass rusher. If Huff can go back to his pre-Eagles form, he will be a massive upgrade over Floyd and the rest of the 49ers rotation outside of Nick Bosa.