Bryce Huff not discouraged by quiet start to Eagles career

It was a quiet Eagles debut for Bryce Huff.

Down in São Paulo, the Eagles’ $17 million-per-season edge rusher played just 30 defensive snaps and had just one assist on a tackle.

Huff knows some Eagles fans are already worried but that doesn’t bother him.

“Not really,” Huff said. “I kind of knew what to expect after the game. I really don’t pay it any mind. I know who I am as a player.”

It was notable that Huff played the fourth-most snaps of the edge group in the season-opening win. Josh Sweat played 41 snaps, followed by Brandon Graham (32), Nolan Smith (31) and Huff at just 30.

While that might seem nit-picky to point out the fact that Huff played fewer snaps than those other guys, the Eagles gave Huff a top-20 edge rusher contract this offseason. Expectations are high.

The Eagles signed Huff to a three-year, $51 million deal as free agency opened in March. Eventually, they traded Haason Reddick to the Jets and the Eagles moved on with Huff in that starting spot. It was a bit of a projection at the time because Huff was a part-time player with the Jets, but he was expected to play a full-time role with the Eagles.

In his first game with the Eagles … Huff was still a part-time player.

When asked how Huff could earn more playing time, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio responded: “You know, just separate himself from the other guys.”

What does Huff think he needs to do to earn more snaps?

“I’m just going to keep getting better and consistently look for ways to improve my game,” Huff said. “If they deem in necessary to get more snaps, then that’s what happens.”

In the 2023 season, Huff had a career-high 10 sacks as a part-time player. But he certainly didn’t fill up the stat sheet in his first game with the Eagles.

But Huff’s not worried either.

“I wasn’t getting blocked,” Huff said. “When I go back and watch film, it’s a combination of quick passes and screens and stuff like that. When you look at the stat sheet, things don’t look how they look on film. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to leave it in the past. On to next week.”

For Huff, it was a shame that the Eagles’ first game of the season came on a field that wasn’t quite ready for an NFL game. While Huff was excited to show out in his first game as an Eagle, the field conditions at Corinthians Arena in Brazil made that tough.

“Yeah. It could have been better,” Huff said. “I’m just trying to move on from it. It was unfortunate how that kind of played out for the rush. But it is what it is.”

Huff barely showed up in the stat sheet but he isn’t worried.

He agreed that the surface in Brazil made things tough, comparing it to running on sand.

There are plenty of questions about the Eagles' edger rusher group in general. Huff, Sweat, Smith and Graham are expected to be the core rotation in 2024.

"I think we have the potential to really put people’s expectations on another level as far as what they can expect from our rush," Huff said. "I know we work hard every day and we’re going to put that result on the field one day,"

Huff has been waiting for months to make his home debut at Lincoln Financial Field and he thinks it’ll make a difference.

“It can make a huge difference” Huff said, “just having that silent count and knowing that you’re on a fair playing field with the offensive linemen as far as getting off on the ball and then getting a lead as well. That will make it so they have to pass on a consistent basis. You can get that pass rush really going.”

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