The San Francisco 49ers are going to need to replace Bryce Huff somehow in the 2026 season.
Huff did not have an amazing campaign by any stretch, but he was still a veteran edge rusher the Niners had to leave heavily upon. After the NFL Draft, it seems obvious that Romello Height is the man who will be tasked with stepping into Huff’s role.
Huff is now retired after making a surprise announcement that he was ending his NFL career to enter the lithium ion battery space. Good for him, and we wish him well.
The hope was that he could be an effective third-down rusher for San Francisco last season after he had a down year for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025.
Early in the season, Huff did not look bad, but once he was forced into being an every-down edge rusher after the injuries to Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, that's when his play started to decline.
Opponents were able to focus on Huff more as the primary edge-rusher threat, and he was limited to just four sacks on the season as the Niners unsurprisingly finished dead last in the NFL as a team in that category.
That will have to change this upcoming season.
Getting Bosa and Williams back will help, but Williams is not known for being a guy who will get after the quarterback. He is known more for being a guy who can secure the edge and helps in the run game who will then get relieved for a guy on third down who will go after the quarterback.
Unless the Niners finally sign Joey Bosa, Height is going to have to be that guy. Matt Barrows of The Athletic had this to say about Height:
"His role is basically Bryce Huff this year. He’s going to come in on third downs and obvious passing downs and rush the quarterback.”
The Niners drafted Height in the third round out of Texas Tech, and he had some solid seasons in college. Last year with the Red Raiders, he recorded nine sacks.
If he could somehow record nine sacks with the Niners in 2026, that would be amazing. Likely the only way that happens is if Bosa and Williams stay healthy, Alfred Collins and Osa Odighizuwa prove to be a formidable duo in the interior, and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris finds a way to put Height in the best position to succeed.
San Francisco having an average (not even a great) pass rush could make a world of difference this season. Height could play a huge role in that, so if he can step into the role envisioned for Huff last year, that could change absolutely everything.
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