It didn't take long for defensive end Bryce Huff to realize he wouldn't exactly fit in with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Huff, of course, joined Philly on a lucrative free-agent deal an offseason ago, which followed a career-best 10-sack campaign in 2023 under then-New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. Financially, going to the Eagles was a career-changer, yet the former Memphis pass-rusher was a proverbial square peg in a round hole.
"If I'm being 100-percent honest with you, I wanted a trade like fairly early on," Huff said inan espisode of the The SFNiners Podcast with Brad Graham. "And just 'cause of how things went in Philly, I knew pretty early on it wasn't a fit."
Without diving too deep into the specifics, it's worthy to acknowledge Saleh ran a 4-3 base defense, while Philadelphia's defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, operates a 3-4 base.
There are other "fit" elements there, too, but the wholly different scheme has already been labeled as a reason why Huff mustered just 2.5 sacks with the Eagles over 2024 before being relegated to the inactive list during Philly's run to the Super Bowl crown.
"There's a plethora of things that went down. I don't wanna get into specifics," Huff added about his one-and-done year in Philadelphia. "Being in the league for five years, I kinda knew what it felt like for me to be in a good situation."
Fortunately for the pass-rusher, a string of events ultimately led to his arrival in the Bay Area, namely Saleh's firing by the Jets and subsequent return to the Niners as defensive coordinator, bringing an updated version of the same defense he installed during his first stint as coordinator, beginning back in 2017.
With sizable control over roster decisions, Saleh earmarked Huff as a player he'd want, and San Francisco didn't hesitate to pull off a trade with the Eagles to make it happen.
"Coach Saleh did a great job lining all that up for us in New York, and I saw a lot of guys elevate themselves throughout my three years with them," Huff said of his previous tenure before Philly. "So, I'm extremely excited to be back here in San Fran."
If Saleh got the most out of Huff in New York, the hope is for more of the same happening now with the 49ers.
Hat tip toJacob Camenker of USA Today for the find and transcription.
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