49ers' biggest need couldn't be more obvious after Bryce Huff's surprise retirement

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49ers' biggest need couldn't be more obvious after Bryce Huff's surprise retirement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There were a lot of roster question marks that the San Francisco 49ers need to answer this offseason. So far through the first week of free agency, two big ones have been answered: wide receiver and interior defensive line.

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Wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa both are now with the 49ers and are massive additions for the team. But, there is still one major need left to address, and after Bryce Huff's retirement, it doesn't get any clearer than it is now.

As Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes, the 49ers' biggest need is a pass rusher. With Huff's surprise retirement, the need became even greater. The 49ers don't just need another pass rusher to pair with Nick Bosa; they need depth at the position as well.

49ers' biggest need is clearly pass rusher

"The 49ers not only didn't add a pass rusher the first week of free agency, but they lost one as 2025 sack leader Bryce Huff (with four... yes, four) retired suddenly on Thursday at 27 to start a company to build safety infrastructures for the use of lithium batteries," Tafur writes.

After losing Huff, their 2025 sack leader who had only four sacks of the 49ers' league-worst 20 (three fewer than Myles Garrett had on his own), the 49ers' biggest need was very clearly a pass rusher.

They already had to address the position entering the offseason, and now, it's become that much more dire a need for the 49ers.

Outside of Nick Bosa, the 49ers edge defenders are only Mykel Williams, Keion White, Sam Okuayinonu, William Bradley-King, Andrew Farmer II, and Jalen Graham.

That isn't a good enough edge defender group. The depth is suspect, and there is a clear lack of pass-rush upside outside of Bosa.

More: 49ers sign Mike Evans away from Buccaneers after 12 years

Fortunately, there are still some options available in free agency that haven't officially signed that the 49ers could look to acquire.

Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa, Denico Autry, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller, A.J. Epenesa, Kyle Van Noy, Jadeveon Clowney, and Anfernee Jennings are a few of the top options still available in free agency.

In the 2026 NFL Draft, the 49ers could also look to land a young pass rusher in the first or second rounds. Though with a big need at wide receiver looking into the future, and a possible massive hole at left tackle, the 49ers can't rely on the draft to solve this need.

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, along with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, need to find at least one pass rusher to add to the roster in free agency this offseason.

Bosa reuniting with his brother would be fun. But, regardless of how the 49ers do it, they need to add more pass-rusher help to the team this offseason.

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