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49ers Receive Strong Grade for Bryce Huff Trade

The 49ers are making a very bold move.
Grant Cohn|
Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (0) against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (0) against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are making a very bold move.

On June 1, they're trading a mid-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for edge rusher Bryce Huff AND paying $7.9 million of his guaranteed salary according to reports. That's a hefty price for a player who had just 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles last season.

And yet, CBS Sports gives the 49ers an "A-minus" grade for this trade.

"This trade brings to mind Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's quote about how 'one man's trash is another man's treasure,'" writes CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo. "While Huff was deemed expendable in Philadelphia, he's headed to a 49ers team that clearly feels that he can make a difference on their defense in 2025.

"Saleh's familiarity with Huff is a big reason why this trade could end up being a big win for the 49ers. Huff's breakout season took place under Saleh, after all, and it's safe to assume that Saleh already has a good idea as to how Huff will fit inside the 49ers defense.

"Huff's salary, in addition to giving up a mid-round pick, are risks that could end up hurting the 49ers, but the risk appears to be worth the possible reward. While things didn't pan out for him in Philadelphia, Huff is still a relatively young player with some considerable upside.

"During his breakout 2023 season, Huff had the best pass-rush (win) rate (21.8%) in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. His success that season led to his big contract with the Eagles, and it's led to yet another big opportunity now in San Francisco. The 49ers are clearly banking on Huff being more productive for them than he was with the Eagles."

Huff is a pass-rush specialist who doesn't start because he isn't good against the run, so he's a one-trick pony. And as a pass rusher, he's had just one season in which he's recorded more than 3.5 sacks, so he's also a one-year wonder.

Fortunately for the 49ers, Huff's one excellent season came under Saleh and he's still just 27. Perhaps Saleh can coax another terrific season out of him.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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