Update — March 30, 2:11 p.m. ET: Less than 30 minutes after this story was first publshed, reports emerged that Bryce Huff will be traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Below is the original story (including references to Huff's 2025 outlook as an Eagle), which is largely unaffected by Huff's departure given the small role he was expected to have this season.
It's not like we really needed official confirmation of this after the way things went down the stretch last season, but we have more confirmation than ever now that he hasn't been at any voluntary workouts this spring and Jeff McLane reports that Huff isn't in the team's 2025 plans.
For a once-hyped-up addition to the defense, that can still frustrate a fanbase. Until a player is totally checked out, there's always some room for optimism that they might turn things around. And Huff once looked talented enough that even a bit of a turnaround could make him an impactful rotation player on this defense. But frustrations about Huff can be thrown out the window now. The Jalyx Hunt hype train is running at full steam in OTAs. The next question is: Will Hunt's emergence truly wipe away the memory of Huff for good? And even further, will it be enough to cover up for the loss of Josh Sweat to free agency?
Jalyx Hunt Making a Case for Himself at Eagles OTAs
Jalyx Hunt emerged as a budding young star in the postseason as the Eagles capped off their Super Bowl run, and he immediately picked up where he left off in OTAs. It's a little early to crown someone for the year after a couple of voluntary practices, but Hunt getting an early sack against the first-team offense in 11-on-11 work is certainly getting the excitement boiling.
And it's not like this one standout play is the only reason to be excited about Hunt. The 2024 third-round pick made some serious strides throughout his rookie season, and fans were already expecting a second-year jump. After an up-and-down regular season, he turned in arguably his two best games of the year in the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl. PFF graded him out at 73.1 and 76.3 in those two games — crushing his regular-season best mark of 70.6. He had the best pass-rush grade for any Eagles edge rusher in each game.
Of course, even if Hunt isn't ready to fully break out, Philly will have no choice but to rely on him. It could be trial by fire for the 24-year-old in 2025.
The Eagles Will Have To Rely on Hunt (Whether He’s Ready or Not)
Not a single Eagle who ranks top-five on the team in sacks over the last three seasons is returning in 2025:
- Haason Reddick (27.0)
- Josh Sweat (25.5)
- Branon Graham (17.5)
- Fletcher Cox (12.0)
- Javon Hargrave (11.0)
Bryce Huff's OTA absence helps confirm that the Eagles won't be able to rely on him to fill the void next season, even though that really isn't breaking news. He didn't play at all in the playoffs, and the only time he played even 25% of Philly's defensive snaps in a game during the second half of the 2024 season was in Week 18 (when the Eagles were just playing their backups). The latest update is made a little more notable, though, by the fact that Sweat left to join Jonathan Gannon with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.
Sweat has played at least 60% of the Eagles' defensive snaps in three of the last four seasons, and he led the team in sacks in 2024. And let's not forget that Brandon Graham was still playing a sizable role in his final season.
Even with the offseason additions of Joshua Uche and Azeez Olujari, it's going to be Hunt and Nolan Smith who need to pick up the slack on the edge — especially if the departure of Milton Williams reduces the amount of pressure being generated from the interior.
Long-Term Benefit From the Short-Term Concerns
The pair of Smith and Hunt are far more unproven than the Eagles' edge rushers have been in a long time, and the team really lacks depth in the area. This creates some early concerns for 2025, but the upside of seeing both the youngsters in expanded roles could be huge.
Both are still on their rookie contracts, with three years of team control left:
Player | 2025 Cap Hit | 2026 Cap Hit | 2027 Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|
Jalyx Hunt | $1.28 million | $1.54 million | $1.79 million |
Nolan Smith | $3.27 million | $3.82 million | TBD (Team Option) |
If both can step up with significant expansion to their roles this season, the Eagles will find themselves retaining one of the best pass rushes in the NFL while having to invest very little money in the position. That's another big win for Howie Roseman.
A Hunt breakout is still far from a guarantee, but it's hard not to get excited about the idea that he's picked up right where he left off to begin his second offseason.