The San Francisco 49ers had two primary needs entering free agency: grabbing a wide receiver and finding help for their defensive line.
General manager John Lynch accomplished both, landing future Hall of Famer Mike Evans before trading with the Dallas Cowboys for a disruptive defensive tackle, Osa Odighizuwa.
The Niners also passed on trying to acquire two of the more prolific edge rushers available, the (still) Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby and the now-Baltimore Ravens' Trey Hendrickson. Whether San Francisco was actively pursuing either is anyone's guess, but the non-pickup of either player is secretly great news for one of the 49ers' incumbent pass-rushers, Bryce Huff.
And Huff stands to benefit from the Odighizua trade, too.
Bryce Huff is an early winner from 49ers 1st moves of the offseason
Huff, picked up in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, didn't exactly wow in his first year of the Bay Area, notching four sacks and six tackles for a loss over 15 games played. And many pointed to his lack of production as a key reason why the Niners logged the fewest sacks of any team in 2025.
Defensive end Nick Bosa's torn ACL in Week 3 might've had something to do with that, too, though.
Combined with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh moving on to take over the Tennessee Titans, Huff's future was anything but certain. He carries zero in guaranteed money for 2026, and San Francisco could save nearly $5.4 million in cap space if he's released right now.
But the 49ers haven't released Huff. If they wanted to, he'd certainly be gone by now.
Instead, the Niners appear set with Bosa and Huff as their primary third-down pass-rushers, while
Odighizuwa and second-year pro Mykel Williams intend to rush from the inside. Of course, Williams is also recovering from a torn ACL. But the plan would be for him to be on the outside in Huff's spot on early downs, ensuring Huff's inadequacies against the run aren't exposed.
And, as long as San Francisco doesn't grab one of the bigger-named edge rushers out there anytime soon, the chances of Huff sticking around and having a bona fide role in 2026 stay high.
That makes him a winner, right?