Bryce Huff’s best days this summer have come when he hasn’t had to go against Lane Johnson.
No surprise there.
Johnson is widely considered to be one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL and is still playing at an All-Pro level. In practice, he’s a brick wall. So if you have heard that Huff, the Eagles’ biggest free agent pickup, has mostly had a quiet summer … that’s true. But a lot of that is Johnson’s fault.
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And Huff on Tuesday admitted it can get a little frustrating facing Johnson every day.
“In a way, it is,” Huff said. “At the same time I’m grateful because who am I going to go against that’s as dominant as him? I’ve really just been grateful for that and haven’t taken any reps against him for granted.”
Fair point.
Because in the Eagles’ joint practice against the Patriots last Tuesday and in the preseason game against them last Thursday, Huff shined. He was creating a ton of pressure in that joint practice and he was stuffing the run in the preseason game.
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While the Patriots are expected to have a poor offensive line this season, it’s just encouraging to see Huff produce when he isn’t facing Johnson or Jordan Mailata, who form one of the best tackle duos in the NFL. Most of the tackles Huff faces this season won’t be as good as Lane Johnson.
Huff said the thing that has surprised him most about Johnson this summer is his feet. Johnson has cornerback feet, he said.
“I’ve learned a lot just because he’s such a well-rounded offensive tackle,” Huff said. “He’s been dominating the league for a very long time. I’ve been learning a lot as far as how to set up different rushes, where to attack offensive linemen, a lot about hand placement and stuff like that. Even in the weight room and off the field, he’s been teaching me things about how to stay strong and how to improve my attributes on the field.”
It’s a good thing that Huff won’t have to face Johnson during the season. Because the Eagles are going to rely on Huff to produce in 2024.
After signing Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million deal this offseason, the Eagles traded away Haason Reddick, who had been their best pass rusher the last two years. Huff now headlines an edge rusher group that includes Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.
With the Jets, Huff was a part-time player. Even though he had a 10-sack season in 2023, he played just 42% of their defensive snaps and didn’t start a single game. With the Eagles, Huff is expected to be a starter and to play wayyyy more snaps.
Because of his new role, Huff was the only projected starter on the defensive line to play in the second preseason game. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said the reason is that Huff is playing a new position.
“Basically, as you guys know, he only played in third-down, two-minute situations throughout his career,” Fangio said. “ We would like for him to be more of an every-down player, and he needs to learn to do that. In the game he did some stuff he really hadn't done up to this point yet which was great to see. Great for his confidence, great for our confidence in him.”
Huff said he felt like those reps were really good for him too.
Because aside from an expanded role, Huff is learning a new style of defense. In New York, he was able to get off the rock in an attacking defensive front. There’s more nuance to his role in Philly.
“There’s a lot of different things in comparison to what I did in New York,” Huff said. “In New York, it was a full-on attack front vs. in this defense, we’re dropping a little more, we have to have broader vision and take in more pre-snap. Just seeing those motions and pre-snap indicators in the game as well as right after the snap, just knowing how to react to certain things. It’s been a cool transition.”
Huff said that his eyes pre-snap are the key in this defense. He needs to spot those pre-snap indicators so he can still get off the ball quickly. Huff has been known for his get-off, so the Eagles certainly don’t want to stifle one of his key attributes.
When the Eagles signed Huff to a $17 million-per-season contract, it was clearly a projection. Huff has never been a full-time starter and he has had just one season with more than 3 1/2 sacks. Not only are the Eagles paying him top 20 money, but they also really need him to produce.
“I’m extremely comfortable with it now,” Huff said of his new role. “Just because we’ve been in camp.”
And in camp, Huff sees a lot of Lane Johnson. At least that won’t happen when the games begin.
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