Niners Nation
The 49ers desperately need a defensive tackle and could probably use another edge rusher
The San Francisco 49ers’ streak of three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances may have ended, but their most impressive streak continues: this offseason marks the 17th consecutive offseason the 49ers have needed pass rush help (don’t fact-check that).
John Lynch has used the last two offseasons to make big swings with the signings of Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd, but San Francisco has still had the same consistency issues that have plagued them since 2019. Floyd and Nick Bosa combined for 17.5 sacks in 2024 – the same amount as Bosa and Hargrave combined for in 2023 but still less than the 18.5 Bosa had by himself in 2022 – but Hargrave struggled in his three games before a triceps injury ended his season.
The Bosa/Floyd tandem had a solid first season, but for this San Francisco pass rush to return to its 2019 form, they’ll need more than just a duo. With Robert Saleh returning, now would be the ideal time to address the depth. In 2019, the 49ers top two sack-getters (Arik Armstead and Bosa) combined for 19 sacks. Behind them were DeForest Buckner (7.5) and Dee Ford (6.5), who combined for 14.
Behind Bosa and Floyd’s 17.5 sacks in 2024 were Maliek Collins (5.0) and Yetur Gross-Matos (4.0) combining for nine, making 26.5 sacks between the 49ers top-four sack-getters, a far cry from the 33 combined in 2019 but a slight improvement of the 26 in 2023.
The difference between 2023 and 2024, however, is the 49ers finish with 48 sacks – matching 2021 and 2019 for the most sacks in the Shanahan era (maybe something about odd-numbered seasons?) – because while the top-four sack-getters in 2023 might not have had as many sacks as in 2024, 16 players combined for at least half of a sack in 2023, the second-most of any season in the Shanahan era. In 2024, only nine players combined for a sack, the fewest under Shanahan.
So, how can the 49ers use this offseason to address that depth? The easiest option would be to use the No. 11 pick to invest in the pass rush. The Niners have tried the free agency or trade route plenty of times, starting with Dee Ford in 2019, but with varying levels of success. The list of defensive linemen added since Ford is extensive:
Some players like Omenihu and Key played themselves out of a contract San Francisco could afford, and...
