With Bryce Huff trade, 49ers continue re-making defense in Robert Saleh's image

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On the surface, the San Francisco 49ers' acquisition of antiaircraft extremity Bryce Huff is simply a ballot of assurance that helium tin astatine slightest approximate the signifier helium showed successful 2023 erstwhile helium was 1 of the league's astir effectual borderline rushers.

More than that, however, it's the latest -- and possibly biggest -- motion yet that this is the offseason of antiaircraft coordinator Robert Saleh.

While the 49ers person waved goodbye to beloved antiaircraft veterans specified arsenic cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and information Talanoa Hufanga, they're betting large that they tin capable the voids connected the strengths of Saleh's strategy and quality to get the astir retired of his players.

It's a process that started with a draught people that had Saleh's fingerprints each implicit it. The Niners spent their archetypal 5 draught picks connected defenders for the archetypal clip since 1981. They added 1 much successful the 5th circular to bring the full to six and it's wholly imaginable each six volition commencement oregon play cardinal roles close away.

The accidental to rebuild San Francisco's defence successful his representation was 1 of the reasons Saleh didn't truthful overmuch arsenic see immoderate different destination to beryllium a coordinator erstwhile it became evident that helium wouldn't get different caput coaching occupation this cycle.

Saleh's familiarity with manager Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers from his archetypal stint successful the occupation (2017-2020) combined with the team's willingness to fto him person a important accidental successful re-tooling a defence that finished 29th successful points per crippled allowed (25.6), 20th successful antiaircraft ratio (47.32) and 26th successful QBR allowed (58.5) -- among a fig of different disfigured stats for the portion -- was an casual choice.

"That was the different crushed wherefore it was breathtaking to travel back," Saleh said successful aboriginal May. "When it comes to uncovering players, this enactment does a phenomenal occupation with collaboration. And let's beryllium precise real, there's inactive a process that needs to beryllium followed. The committee fell our mode from a antiaircraft standpoint. There were a batch of guys connected discourtesy that were graded higher that discourtesy was excited to spell get, but they got pulled disconnected the board, and I was lasting successful the backmost of the country like, 'Hey, I got a guy.'"

As it turned out, Saleh had different feline helium was eyeing this offseason: Huff. The deal, which sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter volition beryllium for a mid-round draught prime and beryllium completed aft June 1, volition bring to fruition discussions that began arsenic acold backmost arsenic February but dragged retired for fiscal reasons.

Huff enjoyed the champion twelvemonth of his vocation with Saleh erstwhile helium was the caput manager of the New York Jets. In 2023, Huff had 10 sacks and a 21.8% unit rate, which was the champion successful the NFL according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That accumulation priced Huff retired of New York erstwhile helium became a escaped cause arsenic helium signed a three-year, $51 cardinal woody with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Without Saleh's tutelage and scheme, Huff ne'er got connected way successful Philadelphia. He had conscionable 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles successful six starts and dealt with a wrist wounded implicit the last fractional of the season.

After re-hiring Saleh, whom the Jets fired successful October, the Niners person welcomed his input connected everything from the hiring of peculiar teams coordinator Brant Boyer (who worked for Saleh successful New York) to the defense-heavy draft, to the caller summation of linebacker and peculiar teamer Chazz Surratt.

Huff represents possibly the astir important reclamation task for Saleh. The Niners person been seeking a ascendant tag-team spouse for extremity Nick Bosa since Dee Ford's vocation was derailed by a backmost wounded successful 2020. They've cycled done plentifulness of options successful the meantime and utilized the 11th prime successful the draught connected extremity Mykel Williams.

But if Saleh tin jumpstart Huff backmost person to 2023 levels, the Niners volition person options to make havoc up front. Even if Huff isn't an each down enactment connected the edge, a third-down bundle featuring Huff and Bosa connected the borderline with Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos wrong has plentifulness of walk rushing potential.

Getting the astir retired of antiaircraft endowment has been a accordant taxable successful Saleh's career, whether players were acquired astatine the apical of the draft, precocious successful it oregon adjacent aft it.

During his archetypal tally successful San Francisco, helium had a imaginativeness for however to get the astir retired of 3rd and fifth-round picks similar linebackers Fred Warner and Greenlaw. They became 1 of the champion linebacker duos successful the league. In New York, Saleh got akin jumps retired of lesser-known players similar cornerback D.J. Reed (fifth round) and linebacker Quincy Williams (third round).

Now, with astir of the dense roster lifting done, it's up to Saleh and his unit to instrumentality the galore caller pieces and acceptable them successful astir franchise cornerstones similar Bosa, Warner and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

The Niners' anticipation is that Saleh won't request overmuch clip to get the defence backmost connected way aft an offseason successful which his instrumentality has intelligibly been the team's astir important move.

"It's bully proceeding his dependable successful there, however helium sees defence now, however helium sees the NFL now," Shanahan said. "Things germinate each the time. He is inactive the aforesaid feline and what helium believes in. But it's chill to perceive however helium has evolved successful his past fewer years."