SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On the surface, the San Francisco 49ers' acquisition of defensive end Bryce Huff is a vote of confidence that he can at least approximate the form he showed in 2023, when he was one of the league's most effective edge rushers.
More than that, however, it's the latest -- and perhaps biggest -- sign yet that this is the offseason of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
While the 49ers have waved goodbye to beloved defensive veterans such as cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, they're betting big that they can fill the voids on the strengths of Saleh's scheme and his ability to get the most out of his players.
It's a process that started with a draft class that had Saleh's fingerprints all over it. The Niners spent their first five draft picks on defenders for the first time since 1981. They added one more in the fifth round to bring the total to six, and it's entirely possible all six will start or play key roles right away.
The chance to rebuild San Francisco's defense in his image was one of the reasons Saleh didn't so much as consider any other destination to be a coordinator when it became apparent that he wouldn't get another head coaching job this cycle.
Saleh's familiarity with coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers from his first stint in the job (2017-20) combined with the team's willingness to let him have a significant say in retooling a defense that finished 29th in points per game allowed (25.6), 20th in defensive efficiency (47.32) and 26th in QBR allowed (58.5) -- among a number of other ugly stats for the unit -- made it an easy choice.
"That was the other reason why it was exciting to come back," Saleh said in early May. "When it comes to finding players, this organization does a phenomenal job with collaboration. And let's be very real, there's still a process that needs to be followed. The board fell our way from a defensive standpoint. There were a lot of guys on offense that were graded higher that offense was excited to go get, but they got pulled off the board, and I was standing in the back of the room like, 'Hey, I got a guy.'"
As it turned out, Saleh had another guy he was eyeing this offseason: Huff. The deal, which sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter will be for a middle-round draft pick and be completed after June 1, will bring to fruition discussions that began as far back as February but dragged out for financial reasons.
Huff enjoyed the best year of his career with Saleh when he was the head coach of the New York Jets. In 2023, Huff had 10 sacks and a 21.8% pressure rate, which was the best in the NFL according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That production priced Huff out of New York when he became a free agent as he signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Without Saleh's tutelage and scheme, Huff never got on track in Philadelphia. He had just 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles in six starts and dealt with a wrist injury over the final half of the season.
After rehiring Saleh, whom the Jets fired in October, the Niners have welcomed his input on everything from the hiring of special teams coordinator Brant Boyer (who worked for Saleh in New York), to the defense-heavy draft, to the recent addition of linebacker and special teamer Chazz Surratt.
Huff represents perhaps the most important reclamation project for Saleh. The Niners have been seeking a dominant tag-team partner for end Nick Bosa since Dee Ford's career was derailed by a back injury in 2020. They've cycled through plenty of options in the meantime and used the 11th pick in the draft on end Mykel Williams.
But if Saleh can jump-start Huff back closer to his 2023 levels, the Niners will have options to create havoc up front. Even if Huff isn't an every-down option on the edge, a third-down package featuring Huff and Bosa on the edge with Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos inside has plenty of pass rushing potential.
Getting the most out of defensive talent has been a consistent theme in Saleh's career, whether players were acquired at the top of the draft, late in it or even after it.
During his first run in San Francisco, he had a vision for how to get the most out of third- and fifth-round picks such as linebackers Fred Warner and Greenlaw. They became one of the best linebacker duos in the league. In New York, Saleh got similar jumps out of lesser-known players such as cornerback D.J. Reed (fifth round) and linebacker Quincy Williams (third round).
Now, with most of the heavy roster lifting done, it's up to Saleh and his staff to take the many new players and fit them in around franchise cornerstones like Bosa, Warner and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
The Niners' hope is that Saleh won't need much time to get the defense back on track after an offseason in which his return has clearly been the team's most important move.
"It's nice hearing his voice in there, how he sees defense now, how he sees the NFL now," Shanahan said. "Things evolve all the time. He is still the same guy and what he believes in. But it's cool to hear how he has evolved in his last few years."