Coming off a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers suffered through a miserable 2024 season, during which they had to deal with a massive rash of injuries.
They won just six games and missed the playoffs, and other than their lack of health, their defense was a major culprit. In past seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan, their defense was their strong suit, but they fell to 29th in points allowed last year.
San Francisco gave itself a major facelift this offseason by letting several key members of its defense leave. But it brought back Robert Saleh, who was its defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 and will once again hold that position, and it has a number of promising young prospects on that side of the football.
The team also brought in Bryce Huff, a 27-year-old defensive end who played well under Saleh when Saleh was the New York Jets’ head coach. In Huff and Nick Bosa, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, the Niners have two strong pass rushers bookending their front four.
ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder made bold predictions for all 32 NFL teams, and he wrote that Huff will have at least nine sacks this year.
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“Maybe this is just stubbornness, but there has to be a real chance that last year’s disappointment in Philadelphia was a one-year blip for Huff that can be overcome by returning to a Robert Saleh-schemed defense,” Walder wrote. “As bad as last season was, it’s not enough to make me forget about the 10.0 sacks or the top-10 pass rush win rate at edge (22%) Huff recorded in 2023.”
The 2023 season was Saleh’s last full one as the Jets’ head coach. He was fired midway through last season, which paved the way for him to return to the Bay.
San Francisco’s pass rush has seemed dormant over the last two years. Although DE Leonard Floyd had a solid 2024 with 8.5 sacks, the decision was made to get younger and trim salary.
Huff’s production dipped last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, as he recorded 2.5 sacks in 12 games. But at the very least, he picked up a Super Bowl championship ring with them, even though he didn’t play in the big game.
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The 49ers’ team website lists Huff second on their depth chart behind Mykel Williams, the No. 11 pick in April’s draft. There are relatively high hopes for Williams, who didn’t put up big stats at the University of Georgia but did win a national championship there in 2022.
All the pieces seem to be in place for a 49ers resurgence this fall, at least on defense, and Huff has the opportunity to be a key part of that type of success.
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