Philadelphia Eagles' Bryce Huff Facing Pressure After Haason Reddick Trade?

Philadelphia Eagles essentially traded one pass rusher, Haason Reddick, for another, Bryce Huff, though Huff doesn't have the resume Reddick has, yet.

Oct 8, 2021; Ware, England, United Kingdom; New York Jets defensive end Bryce Huff (47) during a / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – There won’t be anywhere for Bryce Huff to hide now, not after Haason Reddick was shipped away to the New York Jets at the start of Easter weekend.

The always bright, white-hot spotlight Philadelphia fans shine on their athletes will swing in Huff’s direction now. Trae Turner can relate. The Philadelphia Phillies free agent last year got off to a slow start and heard nothing but boos from the fans, until they rallied around him, and Turner’s play improved from there.

Huff would rather not have it get to either point, but there’s no denying that one of the biggest prizes the Eagles signed in free agency has a lot to prove to himself and his new organization for showing the faith in him to allow Reddick to leave for a conditional third-round draft pick not this year, not next year, but in 2026.

Huff needs to show he is not a one-year wonder, which was last season when he collected double-digit sacks for the first time in his fourth year in the league. Never mind that Reddick made double-digit sacks seasons look routine, leaving town having out up four of those in four straight years.

He also needs to prove he can stop the run and become a three-down player like Reddick. Huff played just 42 percent of the Jets’ snaps. He was a situational pass rusher. He wasn’t given much of a chance to play the run, so maybe he can do it.

Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7). / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The thing is, in that limited time Huff not only had 10 sacks but 21 quarterback hits. Reddick played 74 percent of the snaps for the Eagles and had 11 sacks with 23 QB hits.

Huff and Reddick were also close in tackles despite the snap disparity, with Reddick making 38 and Huff 29 and in tackles for loss with Reddick getting 13 and Huff 10.

Is there more in Huff’s tank, especially at the $17 million he will be paid over three years on his contract?

The Eagles hope so, and they better be right.

“The Jets did an unbelievable job of having that edge rusher position really filled with – I think they had five or six guys when I look at their depth chart – and they were trying to find roles for guys and get guys playing time,” said general manager Howie Roseman at the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando last week.

“We don't play our edge guys 90 percent of the time. We believe in having fastballs off the edge and getting guys in the game. I think this perception that he's (Huff) this liability against the run, obviously, we'll see about that, but we believe that he has the tools in his body to make a difference and we're excited about him.”

The thinking here is the Eagles got this right with Huff. He was an undrafted free agent entering the league and look at him now, making more than some of the players drafted in 2020.

“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,” said Huff when he met with reporters in mid-March. “And finally, being able to sign a deal and solidify myself as one of the top at my position group is really cool.”

He didn’t talk like someone willing to take the money and take games off, like Nnamdi Asomugha did in 2011 when the cornerback signed a big-money deal and then went in the tank.

"I just want to be able to show I'm one of the best in the league and I want to continuously work and go prove that every Sunday,” said Huff. “Even with having a new contract, just knowing that most of the guys on the team were drafted and were pinned as automatically just better than you. It's definitely going to stick with me.”