The Philadelphia Eagles signed edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency, making him the highest-paid undrafted free agent in NFL history with a $51.1 million deal.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport actually thinks Huff is underrated and is expecting a huge season from him in 2024.
The Eagles traded away fellow pass rusher Haason Reddick and lost defensive lineman Fletcher Cox to retirement, so Huff is going to have to be big for the club next season.
That may not be an issue for Huff in terms of getting to the quarterback, as Davenport notes that the former New York Jets star was the most efficient pass rusher in football last year.
In spite of playing in just 42 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps, Huff still managed to rack up 10 sacks.
Of course, that begs the question: why did Huff play in less than half of his club’s snaps in 2023?
Davenport mentions that Huff has had some struggles against the run, but Philadelphia general manager chose to look at the silver lining, saying that the Jets merely kept him fresh for Philly.
Huff, who played his collegiate football at the University of Memphis, joined New York as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
It took a while for the 26-year-old to really get going.
He played in 14 games during his rookie campaign, logging 16 tackles and a couple of sacks. He then posted similar numbers in nine contests in 2021, finishing with 14 tackles and a pair of sacks. Huff once again wasn’t much of a factor in 2022, recording six tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Then, this past season, Huff was one of the league’s brightest breakout stars.
Philly will probably give Huff more playing time than the Jets did, so we will get to see a real taste of what he can really do in 2024.
We will also find out if Huff’s 2023 campaign was a sign of things to come or a mirage in a contract year.
The Eagles finished 26th in the NFL in defense this past year, so they are obviously hoping that Huff can help transform that unit come September.
Philadelphia went 11-6 in 2023 in spite of starting the season 10-1. It lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
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