Why the 49ers are Banking on a Bounce-Back Season from Bryce Huff

When the 49ers traded for Bryce Huff, it seemed they were taking a flier on the former Eagles' failed pass rusher.

Now, it seems they're banking on him to have a major bounce-back season.

That's because first-round pick Mykel Williams missed most of the offseason practices with a hamstring injury and Yetur Gross-Matos missed all of the offseason practices with an injury of his own. If those two injury-prone players keep getting hurt, the 49ers will need Huff to be more than a mere rotational player.

That's why Pro Football Network says Huff's addition is the 49ers' biggest development of OTAs.

"Coming off a 10-sack season in 2023 with the Jets, Bryce Huff signed with the Eagles last offseason but fell far short of expectations," writes PFN's Jacob Infante. "That resulted in his trade to the San Francisco 49ers just before the start of minicamp.

"If Kyle Shanahan’s comments to the media are any indication, the 49ers have high hopes that Huff will bounce back. The trade was relatively low-risk for San Francisco, having only given up a mid-round pick for him. If he does bounce back, he would form a dangerous pass-rushing duo opposite Nick Bosa."

The problem with Huff is that he's terrible against the run, so the 49ers would be smart to use him only on downs in which they know the opponent will pass. But those downs are becoming more sparse as teams go for it on fourth down more frequently. The willingness to go for it on fourth down turns third down into a potential running down, just like second down. That's why the 49ers drafted so many run defenders this season.

We'll see if the 49ers can play to Huff's strengths or if they'll be forced to use him more than they should.