While much of the offseason may be over, NFL teams can still shape their roster between the first week. Is there any best way to do that at this time of year? transaction.
There are still weaknesses to endure, and the player team hopes to move on from contract and come nearer.
As always, I grade these transactions from the perspective of each team. I look at deals from all angles – the quality of the players processed, age, contracts, impact on salary caps, draft compensation, and the short- and long-term outlook for the teams involved. We also consider the effectiveness of each transaction and how certain it is to make the move positive or negative.
Start with the 49ers bringing pass rush help and dive into grading offseason transactions.
49ers get: Edge Blythe Huff
The Eagles get: 2026 Mid-Round Draft Picks
49ers grades: B+
Eagles’ results: B+
The 49ers bet that Huff’s 2024 season is an outlier – no sign of what’s going forward.
A year ago, Huff was a high-end free agent who signed a three-year, $51.1 million contract with the Eagles after showing serious pass rush chops with the Jets. Despite his questions about run defense, it seemed worth it at the time. From 2020 to 2022, Huff recorded a 26% pass rush victory percentage at Edge (the number of top 10 positions he qualifies for). Sack continued when Huff gained more playing time in 2023, and that season hit free agency.
However, the number of Huffs quickly fell in Philadelphia. His victory rate fell to 19% (still above average), but the bag wasn’t there (2.5) and his playing time soaked before missing time later in the season to undergo wrist surgery. He was healthy in the postseason, but inactive for the Super Bowl – a clear indication that Philadelphia thought about his play.
The 49ers are looking for a high quality edge rush on the other side of Nick Bosa. Their biggest investment in the area is first round pick Mykel Williams, but Huff is a different swing.
This is a pretty reasonable play for San Francisco. Just as Huff wasn’t playing last season, there’s still a lot to love about his history, and his pass-rush victory remained solid despite his struggles. His pass rush-off (time to cross the line of scrimmage) bounced back from 0.8 seconds in 2021 to 0.67 to 0.67 in 2022 and 0.79 in 2024.
It shows that Huff is slower, but it’s still a better than average departure for Edge Rusher. The 49ers were able to bring Huff back to the situational pass-rush role – Williams handles the rundown – which would probably suit his skill set. And if there’s someone who can get more people out of Huff, it’s probably 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Sale who coached the Jets and Huff from 2021 to 2023.
Seriously, the 49ers have not paid in full. As Field Yate laid out49ers will pay a Huff of just under $8 million this year after restructuring the deal ahead of the deal. On top of that, the third day draft pick seems like a valuable risk for a team with Super Bowl aspirations and pass rushing needs.
The Eagles, on the other hand, clearly don’t feel the same about Huff. They have plenty of alternatives to play on the other side of Nolan Smith Jr., from veterans who flashed in the past (Azeez ojulari and Joshua uche) to young players with promises (Jalyx Hunt). Philadelphia hasn’t walked away at a big distance, but if Huff wasn’t the lock that would become active on Sunday, saving millions and getting draft picks is pretty good.
