The Philadelphia Eagles made a splashy move on the edge of their defense during the first day of the legal negotiating period, agreeing to terms with emerging New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff, according to an NFL source.
The move was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter with Huff receiving three years and $51.1 million, making him the highest-paid, non-quarterback undrafted free agent in NFL history.
Huff, who will turn 26 next month, entered the league with the Jets as an undrafted hopeful out of Memphis in 2020 and slowly developed into one of the top pass-rushers in the NFL.
He finished the 2023 season with a career-high 10 sacks and produced 68 quarterback pressures in 312 pass-rushing opportunities, an NFL-leading 21.8 percent pressure percentage, according to Next Gen Stats.
It was a breakout season for Huff, who had only 7.5 sacks in his first three seasons.
In the Jets’ upset win over Philadelphia last season, Huff proved to be a game-wrecker opposite Eagles backup right tackle Jack Driscoll.
The decision pushes the Eagles further down the road with incumbent edge players Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, who have both been permitted to seek trades.
Huff has predominantly lined up on the left side of the defense, which would be Reddick’s role with the Philadelphia defense.
What Huff offers is a younger more cost-effective option for the Eagles if that’s the ultimate trade-off. Reddick is set to enter the final year of a three-year, $45M contract but is looking for an extension with an average annual value of well over $20M per season and he will turn 30 in September.
Huff, meanwhile, has very little tread off his tires after playing a career-high 480 defensive snaps last season, a number Reddick has surpassed in six of his seven NFL seasons. In 2023, Reddick participated in 861 defensive snaps in the regular season and 910 total.
The issue with Huff is run support but his goal has always been to prove he can be a three-down player. For now, he joins a crowded edge-rushing room led by position coach Jeremiah Washburn with Reddick, Sweat, 15-year veteran Brandon Graham, and 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith as the main components.
It’s an interesting move by GM Howie Roseman who seems to be trying to thread the needle to keep a level of Reddick-like production for a longer shelf life at a similar rate he’s paying for it right now.
With Huff added to Smith and the latter’s perceived upside on a rookie deal, the thought seems to be that at least one of the two options will develop into a consistent double-digit sack producer over the next three-year window.
