Kawakami: Huff, Jones, Farrell — the under-the-radar additions who are saving the 49ers

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Hey, remember all those big-headline, all-important veteran additions last offseason who obviously were destined to join together to save a game in New Orleans on Sunday when so many other 49ers were hurt?

Well, no, of course none of those moves made much of a ripple back in the spring, because the 49ers spent most of the time discarding key players and shopping the discount aisles for free-agent depth.

The trade for defensive end Bryce Huff and the signings of tight end Luke Farrell and punter Thomas Morstead seemed mostly like roster mechanics, not Week 2 highlight-reel acquisitions.

And the 49ers’ signing of Mac Jones was definitely interesting, but that was mostly due to curiosity about the quarterback Kyle Shanahan almost drafted No. 3 overall in 2021 — and not at all about Jones actually playing this early in the season.

But that was Huff blasting past the right tackle and racking up the game-clinching sack-fumble to close out the 49ers’ nervy 26-21 victory over the Saints on Sunday almost exactly the same way Nick Bosa closed out the Week 1 win in Seattle.

That was Morstead getting multiple kudos from Shanahan (for a punter!) after he dropped two crucial late-game punts inside the New Orleans’ 12-yard line.

That was Luke Farrell starting off the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jones and overall doing a very credible job stepping in for George Kittle, who went on the injured-reserve list last week and will miss at least three more games. Farrell, Jake Tonges, and Brayden Willis also had to take turns trying to replace Kyle Juszczyk, after the nine-time Pro Bowl fullback suffered a concussion.

And yes, that was Jones stepping in for the injured Brock Purdy and getting the full green light from Shanahan all game long, completing 26 of his 39 attempts for 279 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 113.1 rating.

The 49ers didn’t throw around a lot of money in free agency, but it’s clear that the money they spent was not wasted. And it was imperative on Sunday.

I can keep going with newer additions: Among a draft class already handed major responsibilities this season, that was rookie Connor Colby stepping in after left guard Ben Bartch suffered an early ankle injury; that was Kendrick Bourne moving seamlessly into the third-receiver role days after re-signing with his old team; and that was Eddy Piñeiro making his 49ers debut with 44- and 46-yard field goals dead down the middle (Robbie Gould style) after he whiffed an extra-point try.

It should be noted that a fully loaded 49ers team would’ve probably blown the Saints off the field on Sunday. But this wounded and emotionally stressed group — playing its second consecutive road game, both on artificial turf, and on this day without Purdy and Kittle — absolutely needed all of these second- and third-line guys to play like frontliners on Sunday.

“We had new guys all over the field,” Christian McCaffrey told reporters after the game. “When they can step in and execute, that’s rare. That doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Full credit to Shanahan and his coaching staff for working these players into the flow and even more credit to John Lynch and his personnel staff for targeting exactly these guys for exactly those vulnerable spots on the depth chart.

The 49ers are still thin at a lot of positions, of course. They probably will lose some games if they lose two or three more of their stars. And given all these injuries and the 49ers’ notable needs across the roster, they still might lose Sunday at home against Arizona or any number of other games.

But they won on Sunday largely because the 49ers did not screw up their offseason acquisitions, and if they win another game or two like this, it could be the defining stretch of this season.

When you go through the details of the top three acquisitions, it’s extremely non-glamorous, but that was the spirit of the 49ers’ offseason. They moved on from Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Jordan Mason, Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward, Leonard Floyd, and many others. That accumulation was always going to overshadow anything else. It still will have a huge effect on the rest of this season.

But the additions count, too, especially when they’re helping win games. Let’s take a look at the top adds:

—The 49ers sent a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick (that will turn into a fourth-rounder) to the Eagles for Huff.

Huff was a star under then-Jets coach Robert Saleh as a young player in New York, but he never fit in Vic Fangio’s defense after moving to the Eagles last season.

The 49ers saw him as possibly their first true pass-rushing bookend for Bosa since they had Dee Ford at the start of this run. Huff mostly was notable in the summer because he was a rare defensive lineman who remained healthy. He did not show up on the defensive stat sheet in Week 1, but Sunday was his arrival as an impact player: Huff racked up four total tackles on Sunday, including that game-clincher.

—The 49ers signed Farrell to a three-year, $15.7-million deal with $6 million guaranteed mainly to be a blocker but also to provide a little pass-catching help alongside Kittle, who was injured in the first half against Seattle.

Farrell hasn’t exactly put up Kittle numbers: three catches total for 19 yards. But beyond the TD, Farrell and Tonges — often in together — have played well enough for the 49ers offense to keep chugging along.

—The 49ers signed Jones to a two-year, $7-million deal with $5 million guaranteed to give Purdy a backup with lots of starting experience and enough arm talent to almost get himself drafted by the 49ers five years ago.

The big difference between the two, other than Purdy’s $265-million contract, is that Jones is much less athletic. His lost fumble in the second half on Sunday could’ve turned the game back to the Saints, but Shanahan kept the faith and kept dialing up pass plays.

And Jones kept delivering.

If Purdy can’t make it back this weekend, can the 49ers get another win with Jones? Or another week after that? I’m not sure. But Jones gives the 49ers a much better chance than Brandon Allen did last year.

As a 49ers QB2, Jones probably is on par with Sam Darnold from two seasons ago. And I don’t know if Shanahan would’ve ever let Darnold throw it so many times in such a tight game.

Finally, the biggest move of the offseason actually did get a ton of attention, but it didn’t involve a player. It doesn’t seem coincidental that the 49ers finished out back-to-back victories with big defensive plays in the first two games of Robert Saleh’s second 49ers stint.

Do you remember that happening much with Nick Sorensen’s unit last year? No, you don’t, because it didn’t.

So yes, the 49ers will miss Purdy, Kittle, and everybody else for as long as they remain out. But if their replacements stay healthy, the 49ers just seem more put together right now than they were at any point in 2024.

They’re more settled. They’re gaining confidence from these close road victories. The young players are getting better and better. And the 49ers know that they added the right players last offseason even when almost nobody noticed it was happening.