Three defensive players who can single-handedly change the 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers' defense is the side of the ball that has undergone the most change in the offseason, with new coaches and a host of new players joining a unit that is looking to bounce back after a slight dip in 2023. San Francisco fell from first in DVOA on defense in 2022 […]
The San Francisco 49ers' defense is the side of the ball that has undergone the most change in the offseason, with new coaches and a host of new players joining a unit that is looking to bounce back after a slight dip in 2023.
San Francisco fell from first in DVOA on defense in 2022 to fourth in 2023. Hardly a huge drop-off, but that decline, combined with the 49ers going from first in Expected Points Added per play in 2022 to 10th in 2023, prompted the switch at coordinator from Steve Wilks to Nick Sorensen.
A collection of new faces will attempt to help the established stars on the defense return this group to being the NFL's gold standard in 2024, and there are three recent recruits that stand out as the biggest potential difference-makers.
DE Leonard Floyd
The 49ers threw a lot of different players at the problem of inconsistency at the edge spot across from Nick Bosa last season, but never found a convincing answer.
Floyd was signed in the hope he will quickly prove to be the solution.
Explosive, bendy and with a knack for cleaning up the kind of pressures that Bosa constantly creates, Floyd offers a skill set the 49ers haven't had since Dee Ford was healthy during their 2019 Super Bowl run and has 39.5 sacks over the last four seasons, registering 10.5 for the Buffalo Bills in 2023.
Per Sports Info Solutions, the 49ers ranked ninth with a pressure rate of 37.4% but were only 17th with a sack rate of 6.8%.
Floyd can help redress the balance in that regard by maintaining his consistency and through his presence opening up more one-on-ones for Bosa, whose sack total dropped from 18.5 to 10.5 last year.
As far as 'splash' signings go, Floyd's wasn't one that made huge waves. Yet, as the 49ers look to return their defense to the top of the pile after a down year by their extremely high standards, his two-year contract could prove one of the most important in recent franchise history if he can help a vaunted pass rush rediscover its potency in the Niners' latest push for Super Bowl glory.
DL Yetur Gross-Matos
Nobody disputed the logic of the Floyd signing when news of it came down, but there were plenty of eyebrows raised in response to the 49ers giving Gross-Matos $18 million over two years.
Gross-Matos had only 13 sacks in four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, not production that would appear to vindicate that kind of outlay.
Yet he is dripping with the physical tools San Francisco loves in its defensive linemen and the Niners have been very clear they believe Gross-Matos can fill the void left by Charles Omenihu last offseason in giving them an edge defender who can kick inside on third down and create chaos rushing from the interior.
The 49ers made an underrated move in replacing Arik Armstead by trading for defensive tackle Maliek Collins. Yet it is Gross-Matos, with his potential to take some of the pass-rushing burden off Collins and fellow interior defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, who looms as an X-factor up front who could add significant depth to the pass rush and allow San Francisco to mix up its looks in the trenches on the money down.
San Francisco could soon look very smart if the 49ers are able to make the most of what they deem to be untapped versatility.
CB Renardo Green
The 49ers are also looking to make the most of versatility with a new player in their secondary, having spotted potential in Green that might not have been obvious to many.
Green spent most of his time at Florida State at outside corner, providing consistently sticky and often very physical coverage along with impressive play in the run game that makes him an ideal fit for the 49er defense.
His time at nickel corner in college was extremely limited, but the 49ers saw enough in his snaps at that spot to believe he can excel there at the NFL level. The early signs have been promising, with Green garnering praise for the manner in which he has thrown himself into the challenge of learning both inside and outside corner in the 49er defense during OTAs and minicamp.
Last season, the 49ers rotated Deommodore Lenoir, playing him at outside corner on base downs and in the slot on nickel downs, during the second half of the campaign.
Green locking down the nickel spot would obviously remove the need for the 49ers to do that in 2025 and provide San Francisco with continuity in the secondary. In addition, it would improve the depth at corner by allowing the Niners to keep the likes of Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin as reserve options, rather than having to throw one into the mix as an outside corner on nickel downs.
In last year's postseason, Ambry Thomas' struggles while playing on the outside on nickel downs were a key reason why the 49ers were pushed all the way by both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Should Green continue to make strides, the secondary could be a lot less vulnerable in 2024.
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