NFC contender expected to ‘aggressively pursue’ NY Jets’ Bryce Huff

New York Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff will have plenty of suitors on the free agent market

It is beginning to feel inevitable that the New York Jets will lose their best pass rusher in free agency.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Eagles are expected to “aggressively pursue” edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency.

The Eagles have been shopping both Josh Sweat and Haasan Riddick for the last few weeks. Look for Philadelphia to aggressively pursue Bryce Huff in free agency.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 9, 2024

Zach Rosenblatt, also of The Athletic, added that Huff’s market will be “robust” and that the Eagles “are going to make Huff one of their first calls when the tampering period opens on Monday.”

Everything I’ve heard is that Bryce Huff’s market is going to be robust — and that the Eagles are going to make Huff one of their first calls when the tampering period opens on Monday. https://t.co/QVUcAYn1aL

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 9, 2024

All of the buzz around Huff continues to suggest that the Jets’ chances of signing him are razor-thin, if they aren’t gone already.

Huff already had great pass-rush metrics heading into 2023, but he did not have the snap count to warrant a big contract. As a result, the Jets could have signed the edge rusher at a deal way below market value.

Instead, the Jets sat on their hands and let the situation play out. Huff then proceeded to have a career-best season, racking up 10 sacks and continuing to play well on a larger snap count. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Huff also led the Jets in pressure percentage on all three downs, with his best percentage of 24.7 coming on third down.

Crunching some numbers and … Bryce Huff is more than a third-down rusher. From @NextGenStats:#Jets leaders in pressure pct.

1st D: Huff 20.5, JFM 15.3, Williams 11.5

2nd D: Huff 17.7, JFM 16.0, Williams 15.3

3rd D: Huff 24.7, Williams 19.8, Jefferson 14.6

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 9, 2024

The Huff situation is one that Joe Douglas and the Jets are completely responsible for. They had every opportunity to extend the talented edge rusher, and when an extension didn’t seem likely, they opted not to trade Huff for assets.

Losing Huff for nothing will be a bad start for the team’s offseason. Hopefully for the Jets and their fans, the bungling of the Huff situation won’t be an omen for how Douglas handles the rest of free agency and the draft.

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