The NY Jets and Philadelphia Eagles essentially swapped pass rushers this offseason, as the Eagles signed former Jets defensive end Bryce Huff, only to send All-Pro edge rusher Haason Reddick to New York in a trade.
The hope was that both players could thrive in their new environments, leading to what many believed would be a win-win "trade" at the time. That couldn't have been further from reality.
Reddick still hasn't played a down for the Jets as we approach the team's third regular-season game. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is holding out for a new contract with no end to the debacle in sight.
Huff's time in Philadelphia hasn't gone much better, however. The former UDFA has done next to nothing in his first two games with the Eagles, earning criticism from both his coaching staff and fans alike.
The dreadful reality for both teams has sparked an idea — what if the Jets and Eagles just swapped players? That's the dream many Eagles fans are proposing after Huff struggled again in his team's Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Take a look.
Eagles fans propose hilarious Haason Reddick-Bryce Huff trade idea for NY Jets
Huff's stat line after two games reads more like a bar tab at a dry wedding — it's all zeros. He's recorded zero pressures, zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, zero solo tackles, and one assisted tackle. That's it. That's all he's done.
Eagles fans are crashing out, blaming general manager Howie Roseman for giving Huff a three-year, $51 million contract this past offseason. They're calling into question Huff's work ethic, accusing him of phoning it in after receiving his payday. It's getting ugly — really ugly.
This has led many fans to suggest the Eagles should simply send Huff back to the Jets in exchange for Reddick. A one-for-one swap of respective headaches. A do-over of sorts.
Of course, the finances and logistics of such a trade would be difficult, especially since the Eagles only traded Reddick away because they didn't want to give him the long-term contract he was seeking. Why would their stance have changed now?
Still, it's a fun hypothetical to think about. Huff was the most efficient pass rusher in the NFL on a per-snap basis in each of his last two seasons with the Jets. He retained that absurd efficiency even when asked to play 45-50% of snaps per game for most of 2023.
It's shocking to see Huff struggle to this degree, even if he's being forced into a role as a stand-up pass rusher that he's not used to. It doesn't help that his own defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, has publicly trashed him on multiple occasions either.
A return to normalcy with the Jets might be just what he needs. The Jets need pass rush help and Huff was the team's best pass rusher in decades. Call him a Robert Saleh merchant all you want — we know it works in New York.
Meanwhile, the Eagles' pass rush has struggled to get consistent pressure through two weeks, partially due to the departure of Reddick. The logic from a football perspective makes a ton of sense.
Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine this trade actually becoming a reality for a variety of reasons. It's fun to dream, though.
