The hooded sweatshirt obscures a portion of Bryce Huff’s face, befitting a player who often went under the radar throughout his football career.
He is quiet by nature and praises those around him, from his coaches to his teammates at all levels.
He was asked about his journey so far and the perseverance he has endured over the years waiting for an opportunity to truly prove himself.
“I’ve always been the underdog,” the Jets’ speedy and resourceful edge rusher said rather matter-of-factly. “I always had the mindset of working hard to get on the field.”
The weak may take it lightly.
Hough had to wait until his senior year of high school and college to get a real opportunity.
He received scholarship offers primarily from the Sun Belt Conference before enrolling at Memphis late in his senior year of high school, overcoming a commitment from South Alabama.
Despite recording 16 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss in his final two seasons with Memphis, Huff went undrafted.
With the Jets, he had to start over.
Luckily, he had experience waiting his turn.
“We’ve had to do things like that on every level,” Huff said.
It’s taken time, but Huff is finding his niche in his fourth NFL season.
Huff, 25, will enter Sunday’s matchup against the Eagles (5-0), who rank seventh in the NFL in quarterback pressures with 26, according to Pro Football Focus.
2023 Jets.
It’s an impressive list, a group that includes TJ Watt, Micah Parsons, Chase Young, and Nick Bosa.
But at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Huff is more of a pass-rush specialist, playing significantly fewer snaps than most players at 112.
In fact, Huff leads the entire sport in pressure rate with 29.9%.
The Jets started putting him on the field more as his production increased and he showed an ability to defend the run better.
He has played 53 snaps over the past two weeks, and that number has steadily increased.
“It’s great to see the guys together,” he said of quarterback pressure. “It’s a great group of edge rushers and guys who have dominated the league for a long time. So it’s nice to have my name next to theirs, but that’s the standard I hold myself to.”
Huff added, “As far as my speed, I can outrun anyone in the league right away. I’m confident that I can beat anyone, whether it’s power moves, inside moves, edge moves, just running speed.” Masu.”
He picked the perfect year to break out.
He is an unrestricted free agent and has the ability to be a quarterback, so he should command a lot of money on the open market.
It’s a skill that rewards players.
“Bryce has always been a weapon. He doesn’t get credit for what he does. He’s been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL the last three or four years,” defensive lineman John Franklin said.・Myers said. “Hopefully he can get the money.”
Huff admitted that free agency crossed his mind, but he tried not to think about it too much.
He is more focused on continuing to help the Jets win and adding to what has already been a great season for him personally.
He was always confident and believed that when the opportunity presented itself, he would respond immediately.
It’s happened at every level.
“I feel like I’m starting to come into my own now,” Huff said.
