Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Ascending Edge Rusher Debuts At 16

The Eagles are betting big on Bryce Huff's upside.

Mar 14, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Bryce Huff speaks during a press conference after signing with the team. / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - Bryce Huff has pressured the passer about as well as you can on a part-time basis. 

The Eagles have bet $51.1 million over the next three seasons that the Memphis product will expand that success as the centerpiece of Vic Fangio’s pass rush.

Huff was signed in free agency from the New York Jets and will start his next chapter with the Eagles at No. 16 on SI.com’s annual list of top 25 Eagles players ranked by Eagles on Sports Illustrated reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen. 

The list has become an annual affair as the two reporters submit their top 25 lists at the same time so each would be unaffected by the others. No. 1 on the list is awarded 25 points and so on down the list with No. 25 receiving one point.

Huff finished No. 14 on McMullen’s list but Kracz is taking a more wait-and-see approach by putting Huff at No. 18. Huff’s 20 total votes landed him at 16 on the overall list. 

According to NextGenStats, Huff led the NFL with a 21.8% pressure rate with the Jets last season while finishing with 10 sacks over a career-high 480 defensive snaps. If you think that’s an outlier understand the fifth-year player also led the league in pressure rate in 2022 with a mind-boggling 25.6% of his opportunities.

The context to that is Huff did that as a one-trick pony who was only asked to go straight ahead amongst a very talented supporting cast with the Jets. 

The Eagles have earmarked Huff as the foundational piece of their rushing plan as a full-time player for the first time and that will mean setting the edge in run support on occasion or dropping into coverage as a hook or flat defender as a Fangio curveball.

"We liked him," Fangio said. "He's been a good pass rusher for the Jets playing in somewhat of a part time role. Hopefully, we can make him proficient enough to where he plays more, meaning his run play and on the occasion or two that we might want to drop him."

If the Eagles get the Huff evaluation right they will get younger, more cost-effective, and have a longer shelf life than they would have had with local favorite Haason Reddick, who ironically was traded to the Jets for a 2026 conditional third-round pick.

Huff turned 26 in April and his career rep count is just 1,303 vs. Reddick's career tread total of 5,384 with 1,677 of those snaps coming over the past two seasons with Philadelphia.

“I feel like I’m capable of taking on a bigger role and really doing as much as I can to help us win on Sundays,” Huff said.

While the bank account has ballooned for Huff, the chip on his shoulder remains as an undrafted free agent.

“Just the fact that you came out and not a single team thought you were worthy of a draft pick, it kind of just stays in the back of your mind,” Huff admitted.

In the forefront of that mind is now the loyalty to the Eagles for finally believing in what Huff has worked for.

“It just means a lot to me, just knowing that I came in playing for pennies, so to speak, in comparison with other guys at my position,” Huff said. “And finally being able to sign a deal and solidify myself as one of the top at my position group is really cool.”

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