Bryce Huff has had one good season in the NFL. He is basically the Sam Darnold of edge rushers. The issue is that one season came in 2023 when he had 10 sacks, 21 quarterback hits, and 10 tackles for loss. Those numbers dwarf any other season Huff has had.
Yet, oddly, the Seahawks might be forced to face him twice a season now, and that might be a bad thing.
The problem for the San Francisco 49ers' NFC West rivals is that they hired Robert Saleh to be their defensive coordinator again, and Saleh is a very good DC. Plus, the one season Huff had, he was playing under Saleh when Saleh was the head coach for the New York Jets.
Seahawks might be forced to play edge rusher Bryce Huff twice a year if he is traded to the 49ers
While still a rumor, the Jets are expected to trade Huff to the 49ers for a future mid-round draft choice, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. For contractual reasons, the trade will not be processed until after June 1, but it is expected to happen.
New York rids itself of likely an underperforming player for the rest of the duration of his contract, while the 49ers add a player who could explode working in Saleh's scheme. Somehow and some way, it simply feels that the 49ers are going to win the trade, and are going to be a better team because of it.
Huff has played five seasons and has missed multiple games every year except for his one good one. The issue for him is that even though he came close to the same percentage of snaps as he did in 2023 in 2021 and 2024, his productivity wasn't close.
Still, Saleh clearly knows how to use Huff. He will probably be a happier player knowing he is on a better roster and working in a system he knows works. Sometimes, that is all it takes for a player to exceed expectations.
As far as the Seahawks are concerned, the NFC West is very well up for grabs. The Arizona Cardinals might be better, but they will still manage to do Cardinals things and find a way to lose games they shouldn't.
The Los Angeles Rams have turned most of their roster over to a younger one and maintained a high level of talent. They will be considered to win the division again, especially as quarterback Matthew Stafford is still under center.
The Seahawks? The defense could be better with the additions of DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori, and the offense much more efficient. Facing a 49ers team with Bryce Huff won't be fun, though.