What to watch for when the 49ers are on defense against the Browns
The San Francisco 49ers' defense dominated an offense expected to give them a tough test in last week's blowout of the Dallas Cowboys. This week's matchup with the Cleveland Browns attack is anticipated to follow a similar pattern. San Francisco's defense is third in the NFL by DVOA and goes against a Browns offense that […]
The San Francisco 49ers' defense dominated an offense expected to give them a tough test in last week's blowout of the Dallas Cowboys. This week's matchup with the Cleveland Browns attack is anticipated to follow a similar pattern.
San Francisco's defense is third in the NFL by DVOA and goes against a Browns offense that has struggled for efficiency, with further injuries this week compounding the loss of running back Nick Chubb for the season.
Cleveland is 26th in DVOA on offense, but the Niners are unlikely to take the Browns lightly despite their struggles on that side of the ball, and there are several aspects of San Francisco's defensive performance that are worthy of significant attention as the 49ers aim to stay unbeaten.
If you missed my look at the key areas to watch on offense, you can find that piece here.
Wilks' plan for Walker
The 49ers will not be facing Deshaun Watson, with the Browns set to start P.J. Walker in place of the Browns’ injured number one quarterback.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is extremely familiar with Walker, having worked with him during his period as interim coach with the Carolina Panthers last season. During that time Walker displayed plenty of flashes as a quarterback who can make things happen with an extremely strong arm and an ability to extend plays.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence that familiarity will help the 49ers be prepared for whatever Walker can throw at them.
"I mean, I’ve always been a fan of his over the years," Shanahan said of Walker on Friday.
“He’s got experience. He’s a vet, he can hurt you with his legs, he can hurt you with his arm. I think when he has gotten his opportunities in this league, he has done a good job.
"Having Steve be familiar with him in Carolina helps a lot. I don't have to look too much into it. I know Steve's got a good feel and what his pluses and minuses are and we’ve been preparing it all week like it could be this too."
Wilks’ subtle tweaks to the 49ers’ defense since taking over have served as a fascinating subplot to San Francisco’s dominant start, and the mechanisms he uses to unsettle a backup quarterback that can do damage will bear watching closely.
An interior emphasis
In addition to Watson, the Browns are without All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio because of a knee injury.
Michael Dunn will likely step in at left guard for the five-time Pro Bowler, whose absence is something the 49ers will likely look to continually exploit with their gifted interior pass rush led by Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead.
While Wilks has not turned the 49ers into a blitz-heavy team, he has maintained San Francisco’s tendency to consistently stunt their defensive linemen.
Per Pro Football Focus, only the Green Bay Packers have a higher stunt rate than the 49ers (26.8%), and San Francisco will almost certainly throw plenty at Cleveland to get Nick Bosa, Randy Gregory and their edge rush rotation a chance to attack the Browns’ undermanned interior.
Their ability to win on those rushes and keep Walker under heavy fire will have a big say in whether the 49ers improve to 6-0.
Gregory’s involvement
San Francisco is already well aware of the threat Gregory can pose on stunts and should be eager to immediately harness it.
It’s not clear how many snaps the 49ers will give the former Cowboys defender after his first week of practice, but Shanahan believes Gregory will adapt to the 49ers’ defense quickly and general manager John Lynch told KNBR (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area) that he sees no restrictions on what the former second-round pick can achieve on San Francisco’s defensive front.
"The sky is the limit, and Randy is a very talented young man,” said Lynch. “We've loved him since he's been in here. He's been awesome to work with, and so we're going to see him hopefully this weekend cut it loose and see what he can do for us."
The Niners will have designs on Gregory further elevating an outside pass rush that remains primarily fueled by Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and has taken something of a backseat to a dominant interior pass rush.
Last season’s evidence suggests he should be able to do so. Gregory ranked 15th in pass rush win rate among edge rushers with at least 100 pass rush snaps, per PFF, in 2022.
Given his limited time with the team to this point, Gregory may well be limited to a rotational role in Week 6. Yet the Niners will feel even better about the value they got in acquiring Gregory for a late-round pick swap if he can hit the ground running on the snaps he does play in his debut.
Final 49ers injury report for Week 6, at Browns
There’s doubt about one starter.
