The Philadelphia Eagles closed the book on a bad free agent signing when they traded Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers. Huff was a prized acquisition on a three-year, $51 million contract this time one year ago, but he quickly fell out of favor with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and was passed on the depth chart by Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt.
Like any team acquiring a new player, the 49ers are optimistic about Huff’s change of scenery. But it may create some unrealistic expectations as San Francisco tries to get out of Huff what the Eagles couldn’t.
49ers OT Trent Williams Compares Failed Eagle Bryce Huff to Dee Ford
The 49ers acquired Huff in exchange for a 2026 mid-round draft pick on June 2. Huff has since drawn rave reviews from head coach Kyle Shanahan and Trent Williams as both compared him to former San Francisco edge rusher Dee Ford.
“He’s going to bring that speed demon off the edge, that guy that it’s going to require a running back or chip opposite of [Nick Bosa],” Williams said via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I think he adds that kind of Dee Ford effect where they had in ‘19 that took them to the Super Bowl. One of the reasons we had a really, really good defense for those couple years is having that guy who can actually make that quarterback step up by getting a good jump off the ball and being able to bend the edge.”
Both Kyle Shanahan and Trent Williams invoked Dee Ford's name when asked about DE Bryce Huff today.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) June 10, 2025
"He's going to bring that speed demon off the edge, that guy that it's going to require a running back or chip opposite of Nick," Williams said. "I think he adds that kind of…
Comparing Huff to Ford’s 2019 season is high praise for any edge rusher. Ford only played 11 games and had 226 total snaps that year, but 174 of them were in pass rush situations, logging 25 pressures and 6.5 sacks during the regular season, and it helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Huff has thrived in a similar rotational role under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, logging 67 pressures and 10 sacks when the duo was with the New York Jets in 2023. But he couldn’t replicate that performance, with 20 pressures on 180 pass-rushing snaps with the Eagles last season.
Maybe the distinction of being one of the worst free agent signings in Eagles history will be enough to revitalize Huff. But the 49ers may be setting the bar too high for a player who came very short of expectations last season.