Few players helped their cause more heading into free agency than Bryce Huff.
Once an undrafted free agent looking to make his mark in the NFL, Huff has grown into one of the most dominant edge rushers in the game with plenty of suitors on his tail. In the end, it was the Philadelphia Eagles who were able to get a deal done for the 25-year-old star.
Who Is New Eagles EDGE Bryce Huff?
Few pass rushers in league history have gone through the kind of career that Huff has seen in just the last four seasons.
In his senior year of high school at St. Paul’s Episcopal School, he was named a first-team All-State after recording 93 tackles and seven sacks. A two-star recruit, Huff committed to Memphis, where he played mostly special teams as a true freshman. By the time his junior year rolled around, Huff recorded 9.5 sacks while being named to second-team All-AAC.
Huff led Memphis in sacks and tackles for losses in each of his final two seasons with the Tigers. After a successful college career, Huff went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He signed as a UDFA with the New York Jets and made the 53-man roster in his first season.
In his first four years, Huff became one of New York’s most consistent edge rushers in the game despite poor run-defense grades. After a 10-sack season in 2023 — and a contract standoff the offseason prior — Huff hit free agency with the hopes of being one of the highest-paid players at his position.
Huff’s Contract Details
The 25-year-old edge defender out of Mobile, Alabama, signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Eagles on the first day of free agency. By doing so, Huff found a payday both fair for the type of player he is and a contract worthy of changing life for himself and his family.
The $17 million average annual salary is good for 17th in the league among other pass rushers.
The contract details tell more of a story of how the Eagles were not only able to bring Huff in to help their poor defense but also to stay aggressive with other available players. Huff’s base salary of just $1.125 million is also one of the cheapest at the position in 2024.
In 2024, Huff carries a cap hit of just $4.35 million. That number increases to $7 million and $11 million over the next two years, respectively, but they’re relatively cheap for a player of his caliber and at a position of high value.
Regardless of what happens in the next three seasons, though, it will be hard for the Eagles to move on from Huff. He carries a dead cap charge of over $20 million in each of the next three seasons, a sign that Philadelphia believes he can be a dependable player over the next few years.
Huff’s Career Stats
When you look at the contract Huff received and compare it to his career numbers, some might think that the Eagles may have overpaid for the young rusher. After all, one 10-sack season and 17.5 career sacks isn’t anything to parade about.
Huff’s career numbers go beyond the typical stats, though. As a member of a vaunted Jets defense, he didn’t play the same level of snaps as other high-end pass rushers. That being said, his pressure rate (21.8%) was the highest of any pass rusher in the game, according to Next Gen Stats.
Huff played only 480 snaps — almost twice as less as both Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick — but had the sixth-highest sack rate and was among the highest-graded edge rushers in the league.
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His sack numbers may not tell the whole story, but Huff is an ascending player who should fit very well with what the Eagles want to do with their defensive line.
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