Personnel changes the 49ers should make to help reverse their concerning defensive decline
The San Francisco 49ers fired Steve Wilks from his role as defensive coordinator after their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. That decision came after the Niners produced their best defensive performance in a long time. In fact, a case could be made that the defense was dominant in the first […]
The San Francisco 49ers fired Steve Wilks from his role as defensive coordinator after their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. That decision came after the Niners produced their best defensive performance in a long time. In fact, a case could be made that the defense was dominant in the first half, with the very evident frustration shown by Travis Kelce serving as compelling evidence.
Yet Wilks’ baffling blitz-heavy play-calling at the denouement of an overtime thriller as the Lombardi Trophy slipped through the 49ers’ fingers, combined with the scars from a stretch run and postseason campaign in which the defense struggled mightily to stop the run, meant the writing was on the wall for the former Arizona Cardinals coach.
Wilks was an outside hire, the first at the defensive coordinator position made by Kyle Shanahan during his hugely successful tenure since initially hiring Robert Saleh in 2017. In response to the slight drop-off the defense experienced under Wilks’ tutelage, albeit a drop-off that saw the unit go from first in DVOA to fourth, Shanahan reverted to type and made an in-house hire.
The logic was sound, the 49ers found tremendous success with DeMeco Ryans after bringing him through the coaching ranks, but there was some understandable skepticism when Nick Sorensen was hired as a first-time coordinator as Brandon Staley, the highly regarded former defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams whose reputation was dented by his time as Los Angeles Chargers head coach, was brought in as assistant coach.
And there’s a strong case to be made that, instead of getting the defense back on the path to being the gold standard in the NFL, Sorensen and Staley have made things worse.
Through three weeks, the 49ers are ranked 19th in DVOA on defense. They are mediocre 15th against the pass and a hugely disappointing 24th against the run. San Francisco's interior defensive line, which just lost Javon Hargave for the season, is consistently blown off the ball in the run game. The non-Nick Bosa edge rushers are inconsistent at best and there are suddenly big vulnerabilities in the back seven.
Hargrave's season-ending triceps injury will only increase concerns around the defensive side of the ball. However, this is still a group with tremendous talent, the 49ers boasting All-Pros at every level, and there are a few personnel changes the Niners can make to get the defense on the right track as San Francisco looks to recover from a 1-2 start.
Addressing the Hargrave void
The 49ers don't have anyone on the depth chart, outside of fellow starting defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who can replicate Hargrave's ability to generate interior pass rush, and his injury leaves a huge void in the middle of the defensive line.
San Francisco looks set to kick Yetur Gross-Matos inside on pass rush downs in an effort to replace some of that disruption. Fellow offseason free agent signing Jordan Elliott will likely be the favorite to start next to Collins in the Week 4 game with the New England Patriots.
But the 49ers now need to add depth up front that is paper thin in the wake of Hargrave's injury, with Kevin Givens the only other defensive tackle on the active roster. While replacing Hargrave's pass rush production will be tricky, of greater concern are the problems against the run.
An undrafted free agent might not be a conventional solution but, as a potential short-term fix, elevating Evan Anderson from the practice squad could give the 49ers the space eater they so desperately need. Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu has already been elevated from the practice squad twice, leaving the Niners with just one more opportunity to promote him.
Okuayinonu has impressed as a pocket pusher from the edge and provided some run defense value. With Gross-Matos seemingly set to spend more time on the interior, it would make sense for the 49ers to sign a very useful player to the 53-man roster to give themselves better edge depth and more flexibility up front.
Winters is coming
The 49ers hoped De'Vondre Campbell would prove a reliable fill-in for Dre Greelaw while Fred Warner's usual running mate at linebacker recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered in Super Bowl 58.
That flat out hasn't happened. Campbell has performed reasonably well against the run, but his lack of athleticism compared to what the 49ers have become accustomed to having at the position has been very noticeable, with the former Green Bay Packers All-Pro a liability in coverage.
Campbell's hold on the WILL linebacker role is tenuous, with Dee Winters replacing him in that spot during last Sunday's defeat to the Los Angeles Rams only to then re-aggravate a previous ankle injury.
Winters missed Wednesday's practice as the 49ers prepare to face the New England Patriots, but his injury is not serious and he is considered day to day. As such, it appears likely he will eventually take over from Campbell having enjoyed an impressive training camp.
Explaining Winters coming in for Campbell in Week 3, Shanahan said:
"Just planned on it before the game. We wanted to do that early going into this year also. But Dee just got hurt there, I think in that last preseason game, so that set that back a little bit. He’s gotten healthy and we planned on doing that early, just like the week before we planned on doing it with [S George Odum] G.O. and [S] Malik [Mustapha]. We started that and he got hurt on, he re-aggravated his ankle on the fake punt.
"We want to keep working to get the best guys out there and Dee has had a good camp and he showed that he deserves the chance to push him [Campbell]. He did good on the plays that he did when he was in there and hopefully he’ll get healthy so we can keep doing the same stuff.”
Winters brings 4.4 speed to the position and has previously made a significant impact as a blitzer in college at TCU. His preparations for this season suggested he was primed to make the leap before injury stymied his progress and led him to miss the first two games.
Simply put, Winters offers more upside than Campbell and, as a second-year player, is much more likely to have a long-term role. The 49ers would be right to put faith in his physical gifts and allow him to learn on the job from the best in the game rather than hoping for some kind of revival from a player in Campbell whose best days have been and gone
Nickel and dime decisions
The 49ers' nickel personnel on defense looked extremely strong heading into the season, with Charvarius Ward and Isaac Yiadom starting outside and Deommodore Lenoir moving into the slot.
Lenoir is enjoying an outstanding start to a contract year. Per Sports Info Solutions, he has allowed a passer rating against of just 12.5, the second best among cornerbacks with at least five targets.
But Ward, coming off an injury-hindered week of practice, struggled against the Rams, while Yiadom has endured an extremely difficult start to his 49ers career.
After a porous showing on the final Vikings drive in the 49ers' Week 2 loss to Minnesota, Yiadom was dreadful against the Rams, the speed of Tutu Atwell leading to an extremely hesitant showing that saw him give up five catches for 52 yards and a critical 48-yard pass interference penalty.
In stark contrast to Lenoir, Yiadom has allowed a passer rating against of 132.6, failing to live up to expectations that he would be a dependable veteran presence on the outside on true passing downs.
The 49ers have an obvious potential solution to Yiadom's struggles in the form of second-round rookie Renardo Green, who has only played six coverage snaps this season but has not looked out of place when on the field.
San Francisco put a lot of faith in Green this offseason in training him at both outside corner and nickel. Were he to come into the fold, it would almost certainly be on the outside given Lenoir's continued success at nickel. With Yiadom's persistent struggles, the case for Green being given his shot is growing increasingly strong.
With nickel the most commonly used personnel package by the 49ers, Green would essentially become a starter if they made that move. The 49ers used nickel at the fifth-highest rate of any team in the league last season and will continue to rely on that personnel grouping, however, with their linebackers struggling, it will be interesting to see if they go with six defensive backs more often.
The Niners played dime for three pass attempts in the Week 2 loss to the Vikings but haven't used it in any other game. However, with their faith in Campbell seemingly declining and their other options at linebacker, Winters aside, not overly appealing, the 49ers could turn to more dime looks to get three safeties on the field, with one serving as a de-facto linebacker.
San Francisco's willingness to make such a move hinges on their faith in fourth-round rookie safety Malik Mustapha, who played six snaps against the Rams even with the return of Talanoa Hufanga.
A missed tackle on a Kyren Williams touchdown run won't have helped Mustapha's cause. However, at all three levels of the defense, there is a strong argument the Niners would be better served by allowing younger players to learn from their mistakes on the field rather than having veterans who don't have the same upside stunt their progress by remaining on the field despite making similar errors.
From the elevation of Anderson to potentially increased roles for Winters (when healthy), Green and Mustapha, the 49ers' defense will likely be in a much better place for the immediate future and the long term if and when the coaching staff comes round to that way of thinking.
49ers add old friend to D-Line depth as Kyle Shanahan hints at schematic changes after Javon Hargrave injury
They may need to mix things up.
