Former New York Jets pass-rusher Bryce Huff is reportedly expected to be a highly coveted asset when NFL free agency begins next week.
According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Huff is going to have a “robust” market, and the Philadelphia Eagles plan to make him one of the first players they contact when the legal tampering period begins Monday.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic added that the Eagles have been shopping pass-rushers Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick, and it is anticipated that they will “aggressively pursue” Huff in free agency.
After going undrafted out of Memphis in 2020, Huff signed with the Jets, and he made the team as an undrafted rookie.
Over his first three NFL seasons, Huff had fairly modest production as a situational pass-rusher, recording 7.5 sacks in 37 games including seven starts.
Huff enjoyed a breakout season at the perfect time, though, appearing in every game for the first time in his career in 2023, and setting career highs with 29 tackles, 10 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hits.
Despite not starting a single game last season, Huff led the Jets in sacks and quarterback hits, and he positioned himself for a huge payday in free agency.
If the Jets let Huff walk in free agency, it will likely be due to their expectation that 2022 first-round pick Jermaine Johnson and 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV are ready to play the bulk of the snaps on the edge.
New York’s loss would be a significant gain for another team in search of an addition to bolster its pass rush.
Last season, the Eagles ranked a pedestrian 19th in the NFL in sacks with 43, which was a huge downgrade from 2022 when they led the league with 70 sacks.
Reddick led the team with 11 sacks, which marked his fourth consecutive season with double-digit sacks, but no other player had more than 6.5.
Also, Fletcher Cox and Nicholas Morrow, who were fourth and fifth on the team in sacks last season, are set to hit free agency, so it would behoove the Eagles to replenish their group of pass-rushers.
Trading Reddick or Sweat to sign Huff would perhaps be counterintuitive since they were the team’s top two sack artists in 2023, but it is clear that the Eagles need to make some changes.
Signing Huff may be easier said than done, though, as Rosenblatt’s report suggests that several teams will be in the mix for Huff and willing to reward him with a big contract.
2024-03-09 19:53:45
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