The New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles will be mentioned together throughout 2024 because of moves made during the offseason that tied these two franchises together.
A lot of attention has been given to the trade that the Jets and Eagles completed.
Star edge rusher Haason Reddick was moved to New York in exchange for a conditional third-round pick which will become a second-rounder if he plays at least 67.5 percent of the snaps and records 10 sacks.
Right now, both of those milestones look like they will not be reached.
Seeking a new contract, Reddick has yet to report to the Jets. He skipped the entire offseason program and hasn't come to training camp.
This is far from an ideal situation for New York as other moves were made to accommodate their acquisition of Reddick, like trading John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos.
The deal was also made, in part, to help replace Bryce Huff. An undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Memphis, Huff was able to carve out a role with the Jets as a rotational pass rusher.
His production was through the roof, as he recorded 10 sacks in 2023 despite playing only 42 percent of the defensive snaps. He also totaled 10 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits and 33 total pressures.
That production led to him landing a lucrative contract from Philadelphia as a free agent this offseason. The two sides agreed to a three-year, $51.1 million deal that has a max value of $20.033 annually.
Given how much money he signed for, it would have been fair to assume he was in line for a much larger role with the Eagles.
However, that may not be the case, at least not right away.
Last week, Philadelphia’s new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke about the team’s newest addition to their defensive front. He provided a brutal update, as Huff doesn’t sound ready to be more than a specialist yet.
“Does he look like he can do it today … No. but I do think eventually he will,” Fangio said when talking about the former Jets edge rusher playing more than just in pass-rushing situations.
Fangio did compliment Huff on his talent and work ethic, though.
Huff is doing everything the team is asking of him, but there is still work to do before he can become an every down player for the Eagles.
Of course, his floor is very high as he has proven he can get the job done off the edge even in limited snaps. Philadelphia at least has the ability to work with Huff and develop him in practice, something New York currently can’t do that with their edge rushers not in camp.
