Depth at the defensive end spot was a concern on the 49ers roster going into camp. That group is doing plenty to quell those concerns through the first couple weeks of practice.
A healthy Austin Bryant returned to action Monday and quickly made his mark. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner Bryant posted 3.0 sacks and multiple pressures during team drills.
He rejoins a group that includes Clelin Ferrell who regularly pops up as a playmaker during recaps of the team portion of camp, Drake Jackson who is one of the early favorites to win the second starting DE job, and now Taco Charlton who signed in early August and is already making enough of a mark that he’s earned first-team reps per David Lombardi of the Athletic.
What was once an area of concern for San Francisco has now morphed into a potential strength while Nick Bosa remains out during negotiations on a long-term contract extension. While his absence isn’t ideal, it’s opened the door for more reps from other DEs trying to fight their way onto the roster and up the depth chart.
The bar for the DE lining up across from Bosa isn’t high. They’ll see plenty of one-on-ones and they just need to do enough to make quarterbacks uncomfortable on that side. So far it appears every member of that group has flashed the qualities necessary to clear that bar.
As for the starter, that’ll come down to consistency more than splash plays. They’ll have to defend the run as well as get after the quarterback. However, if defensive line coaches Kris Kocurek and Darryl Tapp can work their magic with a couple players in this group and turn them into quality pass rushers, San Francisco’s depth on the edges may allow them to rekindle the type of relentless group they had early in the 2019 season.
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