Defensive line appears to be 49ers’ big strength
All eyes have been on QB competition between Garoppolo and Lance
SANTA CLARA >> Leave it to an opponent to clearly define the 49ers’ greatest asset.
Two premium quarterbacks? Hold off on that, although that value can’t be understated.
“The 49ers’ strength is their front,” Chargers coach Brandon
Staley said Sunday of the 49ers’ defensive line.
Maybe he only meant it’s the strength of their defense. Staley was complimentary of the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, too, after practicing against them Thursday and Friday before Sunday’s preseason game.
But the defensive front led the 49ers to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, and, it could be their key back
to SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.
Arik Armstead and D.J. Jones were their only would-be starters to play and subsequently rattle the Chargers in Sunday’s 15-10 win at SoFi. Lance’s two touchdowns seized a spotlight that really should be shared with the defensive line.
“The whole game, whoever was in there, I think we were coming off the ball off hard and what I saw was that they were affecting the quarterback from it,” coach Kyle Shanahan said after the win.
Waiting their turn until likely the Sept. 12 regular-season opener are Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and Javon Kinlaw. Overlooked but not underappreciated are Kentavius Street, Kevin Givens and Darrion Daniels. Then add in newcomers Samson Ebukam, Zach Kerr, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key.
“Even though Bosa and Kinlaw didn’t play, and Armstead only played for a second, they are still the strength on their team,” Staley said.
Shanahan may be busy jockeying franchise quarterbacks, but he is well aware of his defensive
line’s reemergence after an injury-plagued 2020.
A Jordan Willis sack produced a safety and the 49ers’ first points, but Willis won’t require a roster spot in a week because he’s facing a six-game, performance-enhancing-drug suspension.
Keeping 10 defensive linemen might be a couple too many considering an eight-man rotation should suffice on game days. Such a surplus could lead to a trade or two (see: Robert Saleh’s New York Jets).
Hurst could be out a monthplus, however. His left angle got twisted and Jones fell on top of it during a pass rush in Sunday’s opening series.
“We have some depth on our defensive line,” Shanahan said. “It’s going to be tough decisions.”
Perhaps the 49ers make a trade to restock their draft picks, having dealt away the next two years’ first-round selections to move up this year for Lance.
Kerr, an eighth-year veteran who’s going on his fifth team, marveled at what he calls the most talented and deepest group of defensive linemen in his career.
Said Kerr: “A couple years ago they were in the big game. Injuries, you know, killed them the year after. You look at them building their roster back up to
get to that spot and it was a nobrainer to me (to come) when they gave me a call.
“I can’t stress it enough, and it’s probably going to sound a little cheesy, but this is the best, the fastest, everything as far as the defense and the defensive line coach. It’s really crazy to see at practice. We all feed off that. It’s actually fun. It’s scary.”
Kentavius Street, a 2018 draft pick, agreed.
“This D-line’s crazy,” Street said. “It’s very rare, especially in the NFL, to have a room full of guys who can start anywhere in the league. To be a part of a room like that is very humbling.” INJURY UPDATES >> These are the health issues worth monitoring as the 49ers enter Sunday’s preseason finale against the Raiders: Defensive linemen Nick Bosa (knee), Dee Ford (back) and Javon Kinlaw (shoulder, knee); Running backs Trey Sermon (ankle) and Elijah Mitchell (abductor); Wide receivers Jauan Jennings (heel) and Jalen Hurd (knee); Linebackers Azeez AlShaair (elbow, knee) and Mychal Kendricks (toe); Defensive backs Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring) and Alexander Myres (concussion); Offensive tackles Trent Williams (knee) and Shon Coleman (knee); Guards Aaron Banks (shoulder) and Senio Kelemete (back).