The 49ers' biggest surprise at midseason
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what […]
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what we've done so far:
- 49ers' rookie report card
- 49ers' midseason grades
- 49ers' best and worst free agent signings at midseason
Now we're going to look at the biggest surprise of the season for the 49ers. Though San Francisco has lost its last three to drop to 5-3, we're going to skew positive with a player who has excelled after being thrust into a much bigger role in 2023.
The 49ers' biggest surprise at midseason
Oren Burks
The 49ers' promotion of Burks to starting SAM linebacker on base downs was not one that generated much attention, and for good reason given nickel has essentially become the base personnel on defense in the modern era due to the rise of 11 as the personnel du jour on offense.
With Azeez Al-Shaair rewarded for his impressive play in that role with a contract from the Tennessee Titans, there was reason for doubt about the ability of a player who had previously primarily served as a special teamer to fill the void.
But Burks has long since possessed the athleticism to thrive as a linebacker at the highest level, and there were glimpses he could enjoy success as a starter when injuries pressed him into service last season.
This year, Burks has snatched his opportunity with both hands. He ranks 18th among all linebackers by Pro Football Focus grade, his position in the top 20 underpinned by an excellent showing in coverage.
Thriving in coverage
Burks has the highest PFF coverage grade of any linebacker in the NFL, his emergence in that regard extremely useful in enabling the 49ers to defend successfully when teams attack them from heavier personnel packages.
But it isn't just in coverage where Burks has shone. While the 49er defense has not as a collective been as impressive against the run as anticipated, Burks has displayed an ability to fit the run well. He can set the edge against tight ends when required to funnel outside rushes back inside, get off second-level blocks and close the football in swift fashion.
There have been some inconsistencies as a tackler, and Burks is not alone in that on a San Francisco defense that has traditionally prided itself on its tackling, but the lack of a drop-off from Al-Shaair to Burks is something for which he deserves great praise.
Where Burks perhaps hasn't been used as much as Al-Shaair is as a blitzer, though Burks did register a team-high four pressures in the Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in which he filled at WILL linebacker for the injured Dre Greenlaw.
For Burks, the transition from core special teamer to starter on the defense has not been too difficult, with the former third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers taking the mindset that helped him excel covering kicks into his new role on defense.
Belatedly harnessed talent
Prior to the 49ers' Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, I sat down with Burks in the locker room and asked about the confident and aggressive style of play that leaps off the tape when he is working in open space chasing down ball-carriers.
"I feel like the standard for excellence is there [on the defense] so I'm just trying to uphold that, said Burks. "I feel that's just my play style, just trying to put my brand of football out there.
"I know this is the type of ball I'm capable of playing at a high level consistently. I just try to put that on tape every week so it's just kind of continued to build from there.
"In our linebacker room we just talk about being the heart of the defense, playing hard and that's just like the bare minimum. For me I'm just trying to play within the defense, make the plays that come to me and fly around."
Burks has done plenty of flying around in 2023. As a third-rounder, he clearly always had the ability to make the grade as a starter in the NFL, and it is finally being harnessed at 28.
On a defense that has seen a couple of prominent issues emerge amid the Niners' recent slump, one of the most surprising developments is that, thanks to Burks, the loss of an underrated linebacker in Al-Shaair is not one of them. That Burks is faring so well in pass defense that he ranks among the elite coverage linebackers in the league only serves to make his progress even more shocking.
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