The last two weeks have shown weaknesses in the San Francisco 49ers’ defense that usually aren’t a problem for one of the best groups in the league.
Fixing these issues will be even harder now that star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is likely out for the rest of the season after partially tearing his triceps in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In their recent losses to Minnesota and the Rams, San Francisco has had trouble putting consistent pressure on the quarterback, stopping the run, and has allowed two big plays down the field.
This has resulted in a team allowing an alarming 6.11 yards per play, which is the third-worst in the NFL this season and the fourth-worst in the team’s history after three games.
“People are going to look at all the bad stuff that we’re doing when we are losing,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said. “It’s not the standard that we have had since I’ve been here. But I see the things that are positive on tape and we just need to clean up things that are negative.”
They will have to manage without Hargrave, who signed a four-year, $81 million contract in 2023. His first season with the Niners was inconsistent, but he had just come off one of his better games, with five pressures against the Rams matching his highest from any regular-season game last year.
After letting defensive tackle Arik Armstead go for salary-cap reasons in the offseason, the Niners will likely use two new players at defensive tackle: Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliott. Kevin Givens will add depth, and San Francisco is expected to promote another defensive tackle from the practice squad, with T.Y. McGill being the most experienced option.
“It’s just a group effort,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We have a lot of depth at that position.”
