When Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio stepped up to the podium on Tuesday, the very first question he got was about his former edge rusher, Bryce Huff.
Last week, Huff was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a mid-round pick, which will be either a fourth-round or fifth-round pick. It was the end of a one-year experiment that failed for Huff after racking up just 2.5 sacks in 12 games.
The move has opened the door for some of the younger players to come in and take over. That's what Fangio will be looking for, but he had to close the door on the Huff era with one question to ask.
Fangio explains why it didn't work for Huff
Fangio answered the first question about Huff on Tuesday with a combination of reasons why it didn't work. From the wrist injury to losing reps to guys who had stepped up, Huff wasn't able to recover.
"Well I think the one thing is he was getting better and when he hurt his hand, he tried to play with it a couple of weeks. It wasn't going good because he was reluctant and then when they operated on it, he had to play on it with a big cast on his hand which basically rendered his hand useless and then rendered your arm useless because you can't use your hand. That really had an effect on him. We just come out of draft season and first thing you see when they put a guy's name on the board is you hand size, arm length. Well, he lost all that and while he was out, Nolan (Smith Jr.) got more snaps, Jalyx (Hunt) got more snaps. Things evolved. i think he'll do fine in San Francisco."
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio speaks with the media. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/4nU6gTzyOr
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 3, 2025
Smith made the most of his reps, taking advantage of Huff, as he had 6.5 sacks on the season, which was second on the team to Josh Sweat. Hunt also took advantage in the postseason, recording 1.5 sacks in four games to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl.
Fangio's defense was just fine without Huff as they were the number one unit in total defense (278.4), pass defense (174.2), and second in scoring defense (17.8). His defense was impressive in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs as they allowed just six points through three quarters, sacked Patrick Mahomes six times, and had 11 quarterback hits.
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As the defense moves forward to 2025, Fangio needs to find a proper replacement for Sweat and Huff off the edge. Smith will start, and Hunt will compete for the other job. Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche will also compete with Hunt for a starting role.
Philadelphia's defense got younger and more athletic which is scary to think about. Fangio has plenty of potential on his unit to have an ever better season while being set up for the future.