Jets Country

Jets' Bryce Huff Shines in Win Over Giants, Playing His Way to Bigger Role on Defense

New York Jets defensive end Bryce Huff is playing his way to a bigger role this season after shining in training camp and the Jets preseason win over the New York Giants

Max Goodman

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

While several members of New York's potent defensive line brought pressure in Saturday's 12-7 win over the Giants, one youngster in particular caught head coach Robert Saleh's attention.

Three plays into the game, Bryce Huff motored around the edge, cutting swiftly to the pocket to sack quarterback Mike Glennon on third-and-10.

Huff wound up leading the defense with two sacks on the night, making a total of three tackles in New York's preseason opener. 

"The more we watch him, he’s just winning," Saleh said after the victory on Saturday night. "He’s one of those guys, at first, we were like, ‘Man, how are we going to hide this guy in the preseason, he’s going to end up with like 10 sacks.’ It got to the point where we were like, ‘How are we going to keep him off the first unit?’"

Huff's second sack of the night came in the fourth quarter as he got to Clayton Thorson on the first play of the Giants' lone scoring drive on the night fresh off a Jets turnover.

New York bolstered the defensive line quite a bit this offseason, signing Carl Lawson to wreak havoc on the edge while reeling in veterans like Sheldon Rankins and Vinny Curry to provide additional threats. That's before mentioning returning players like rising star Quinnen Williams, along with Folorunso Fatukasi and John Franklin-Myers. 

With a combination of all those names, many believe the "sky is the limit" for this group.

It's these kinds of performances from Huff—undrafted out of Memphis—that show why the 23-year-old could take on a larger role in Saleh's defense in 2021 and make this unit even more dangerous. 

Huff played in 14 games last season, showing signs of his potential at this level with two sacks, four quarterback hits, four tackles for loss and 16 total tackles. As Saleh mentioned on Saturday, however, the lineman continues to develop and has put himself in the right position to earn more snaps leading up to Week 1 in Carolina.

"He transformed his body through OTAs and all the way up to training camp. He’s done a really good job, really getting himself ready to have a really great training camp and he’s been having it," Saleh added. "It’s credit to him and the opportunity that he created for himself through his work and during practice."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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