49ers have chance to fix lingering defensive problem after surprise Chargers news
Though the San Francisco 49ers saw their interior defensive line options boosted on Friday as Javon Hargrave returned to practice, their recent issues in handling playing without him and Arik Armstead were a clear indicator that their depth in that area of the team is perhaps not what they thought. With both their starting defensive […]
Though the San Francisco 49ers saw their interior defensive line options boosted on Friday as Javon Hargrave returned to practice, their recent issues in handling playing without him and Arik Armstead were a clear indicator that their depth in that area of the team is perhaps not what they thought.
With both their starting defensive tackles missing for last week's blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals, which clinched the NFC West, the 49ers gave up 234 yards rushing, having not previously conceded 100 in a game since Week 8.
San Francisco this week saw its depth at defensive tackle dented by an ankle injury to Kalia Davis that forced him to go on injured reserve. The 49ers have since signed Taylor Stallworth to the practice squad, but another move must still be under consideration.
An obvious move that is now available to them is to put in a waiver claim for Sebastian Joseph-Day, who was waived by the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday.
Joseph-Day had played in all 14 games for the Chargers this season, registering three sacks, tied for a career-high, and a career-best 11 quarterback hits.
However, he is more renowned for his work in the run game, initially excelling in that area with the Los Angeles Rams before signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Chargers in 2022.
Were they to put in a successful claim, the 49ers would be on the hook for the remainder of Joseph-Day's $6.5 million base salary for 2023. However, his $7.5 million salary for 2024 is not guaranteed, meaning they could easily move on from him in the offseason.
Joseph-Day will want to play for a contender, and the 49ers could offer him a place in the D-Line rotation for the team seen as the favorites to win the Super Bowl. With Joseph-Day on the board, the 49ers would be able to take the strain off Armstead and Hargrave more often on non-obvious passing downs and be confident in their run defense avoiding a drop-off.
The problem, of course, is that the 49ers are at the back of the queue when it comes to waiver order, yet that should not prohibit them from at least trying their luck and attempting to stack the deck in an area where they could clearly benefit from extra depth.
Javon Hargrave gives the 49ers an early Christmas present
It’s a huge boost
