Bryce Huff’s undrafted free agent mindset still lingers after signing big contract with Eagles

Newly signed edge rusher Bryce Huff has a chip on his shoulder that bears the weight of 32 NFL teams.

A 2020 undrafted free agent out of Memphis, Huff signed with the New York Jets, working to prove the teams that passed on him wrong by showing he was worthy of his place in the league. The edge rusher made a statement in 2023, leading the Jets with 10 sacks. The Eagles rewarded him with a three-year contract worth up to $51.1 million with $34.4 million guaranteed.

Hefty contract in hand, Huff says that undrafted-free-agent mindset still lingers.

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“Just the fact that you came out and not a single team thought you were worthy of a draft pick,” Huff said on Thursday at his introductory news conference. “It kind of just stays in the back of your mind. Even with having a new contract, just knowing that most of the guys on the team were drafted and just pinned as automatically as better than you. It’s definitely going to stick with me.”

Now, Huff looks to prove himself in a different capacity. After four years with the Jets contributing as a situational pass rusher, Huff has an opportunity to carve out a starting role and take on a more substantial workload, given the uncertain futures of a pair of his teammates. NFL sources have told The Inquirer that the Eagles are receiving trade calls about Josh Sweat and they’ve permitted Haason Reddick to seek a trade.

Huff said he’s aware of the reports about a potential trade involving Reddick, who is among the players he has watched and emulated over his career. Regardless of prospective personnel moves, Huff said he’s capable of taking on a bigger role than the one he undertook in the past.

In New York, Huff never played more than 51% of the defensive snaps in a season. He was primarily on the field in passing situations instead of serving as an every-down player. Last season, Huff played 42% of the defensive snaps, including 134 run plays and 334 pass plays, according to Pro Football Focus. But Huff said he’s ready to do whatever new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio asks of him.

“I feel the base of the role will be getting after the quarterback,” Huff said. “But outside of that, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help us win on Sundays regardless if that’s dropping into coverage or stopping the run more or running more twists or stunts. Whatever it is, I’m ready to do it.”

Before he led the Jets defense in sacks in 2023, he registered only 7½ over the course of three seasons. During that period, Huff said he focused on finding ways to improve every day and trusted the results would come eventually.

One area Huff improved most since he entered the league was his strength, helping him stop runners or execute a bull rush. He flaunted that strength in his career season on a talented defensive line that included Quinnen Williams, Quinton Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson, attributing his success to his consistency throughout the workweek.

“Really [homing] in on my opponents’ weaknesses,” Huff said. “Listening to my coaches as far as a rush plan. Working together with my teammates on the D line and just working as a team to beat the opposing offensive line vs. just winning one-on-ones.”

While Huff named the Jets as one of his suitors who tried to retain him when he was a pending free agent, he decided to sign with the Eagles instead. Aside from the compensation, Huff felt wanted in Philadelphia and suggested that the Eagles had a plan for him, as opposed to other teams that just “wanted to stick [him] out there and do [his] thing.”

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Additionally, Huff said that he likes the culture and the team that general manager Howie Roseman is building.

“The Eagles are one of the best in the league when it comes to consistently winning and consistently having good players and have them go out there and do their thing on Sunday,” Huff said.

When training camp rolls around in four months, Huff will be ready to channel that undrafted-free-agent mindset again, putting in the work to prove that he’s ready to take the next step in his career.

“I just want to be able to show that I’m one of the best in the league and I want to continuously work and go out there and prove that every Sunday,” Huff said.

When inside linebacker T.J. Edwards signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Wisconsin, his college teammate Zack Baun watched with appreciation.

Edwards started out in a special-teams role, eventually becoming a starter for the Eagles at linebacker for three seasons before signing with the Chicago Bears in free agency last offseason. His success served as inspiration for Baun, who was in the class behind Edwards at Wisconsin.

“I saw him go off to the NFL and do good things, and I’m like, I’m trying to do that, too,” Baun said Thursday.

While Edwards is no longer on the team, Baun now has an opportunity to carve out a role with the Eagles, following in the footsteps of his former teammate. When the Eagles agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Baun on Monday, he said that Edwards was one of the first people to reach out to him.

“Told me I would love the city,” Baun said. “Had a big old smile on his face. Had nothing but good things to say about the people here, the organization, and the team.”

Baun, 27, was an outside linebacker at Wisconsin. He spent the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints and had experience playing off-ball linebacker and edge rusher, but the bulk of the snaps came on special teams. Last season, Baun was utilized more as an edge rusher, taking 252 snaps on the edge compared to just 33 in the box, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Baun says he isn’t sure about the plan for this season under Fangio, but added that he can perform either role at a high level.

“It was kind of the first thing I did when I made the switch to defense in college,” Baun said. “I was a quarterback in high school. And that was what I learned. But now since, I’ve grown and learned so many different things about defense in general and linebacker play. I think it’s a tool in my toolbox now among many other things.”