Bryce Huff is entering his fourth year in the league. Head coach Robert Saleh loves to rotate his defensive lineman and Huff has carved out a role for himself. The 25-year-old undrafted free agent signed with the New York Jets in 2020. Plenty of draft experts saw the pass-rush potential in Huff, with many giving him a seventh-round grade. General manager Joe Douglas pounced on the opportunity and brought Huff to New York as an undrafted free agent.
Bryce Huff took a massive step forward in 2023
The Memphis product played most of his snaps in 2022 as a third-down pass-rush specialist, playing in only 20% of the team’s defensive snaps. Despite his limited reps last year, Huff made it too difficult for the Jets to keep him off the field in 2023. One flaw the 25-year-old undrafted free agent had was run defense due to his lighter frame (6’3, 255 pounds) but that hasn’t been the case. Huff has a team-high 14.8% run-stop rate this season.
Huff has the skill set to win in a variety of different ways. One of his biggest strengths is his outstanding quickness. He owns a lighting quick get-off with the twitchiness to evade blockers. The Alabama native can bend off the edge consistently and it’s been prevalent this year. Huff is currently second on the team in sacks (2.5) but that number is a small margin of the havoc he’s generating.
The 25-year-old undrafted free agent amassed 34 total pressures thus far on only 114 pass rush snaps. He is coming off his best performance in his young career. In the Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Huff was a menace flying off the edge.
Right tackle Lane Johnson was knocked out with a knee injury and the Memphis product took advantage of the backup tackle. Huff finished with nine total pressures, 1.5 sacks, and an absurd 32.1% pass-rush win rate. Additionally, he has been statistically one of the best pass rushers in the game. Huff ranks first in the NFL in pressure rate (25.7%) since 2020.
Bryce Huff isn’t new to the grind
The 25-year-old was a two-star recruit coming out of St Paul’s Episcopal High School before he committed to Memphis. Huff saw limited action in his first two years before taking a jump in his junior season. He finished his Tiger career with 136 total tackles, 39.5 tackles for loss, and 18 sacks. Those numbers got Huff invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl Game where he further showcased his talent.
Former NFL All-Pro Gives Bryce Huff Some Praise
One of the NFL’s best pass-rushers in history heaped praise on the 25-year-old undrafted free agent. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt has liked what he’s seen from Huff. On the Pat McAfee Show Watt said, “He’s got some great pass rush moves, he’s got some incredible technical skills. I know right now he’s got a ton of pressure and maybe the not biggest sack numbers but that’s a guy that’s been getting back there.”
The 25-year-old undrafted free agent is making his name known
Huff will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and has a chance to cash in. Defensive lineman Carl Lawson will also be a free agent in 2024 for New York but Huff seems to be a fan-favorite amongst the coaching staff. The Alabama native has exceeded 40% of team snaps in two consecutive weeks and that trend should continue the rest of the 2023 campaign. The Memphis product played 50 percent of team snaps in the win over the Eagles, which is now a career-high. Huff’s explosive and disruptive presence off the edge allows him to be a top pass rusher in the NFL.
Main Photo: [Ron Chenoy] – USA Today Sports
