The changes on the 49ers defense over the offseason were few, but the trade of defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to the Colts at the start of the new league year sent a significant shockwave through a defensive unit that finished eighth in points allowed and second in yards allowed last season. The move allowed them to keep effectively the rest of their defense intact, while simultaneously replacing Buckner by way of the No. 13 pick they acquired by trading him.
The end result was San Francisco landing at No. 2 on Touchdown Wire’s pre-season defensive rankings. Only the New England Patriots were better.
While some teams found running lanes against the 49ers last season, they were the most dominant team in the league defending the pass. That’s extremely valuable in a league that’s leaning on the passing game more than ever. From Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:
No team allowed fewer net yards per passing attempt than San Francisco’s 4.8, and their 150 allowed passing first downs tied with the Patriots for the league lead. And if you wanted to throw deep against this defense, forget it — the 49ers allowed by far the fewest air yards last season with just 1,320 — New England finished second with 1,739.
The Buckner trade allowed the 49ers to re-sign free safety Jimmie Ward and defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who led the team with 10.0 sacks last season. They have essentially all the pieces in place to put together another shutdown pass defense. If Kinlaw can step into his role and adapt quickly to be disruptive in the middle of the pocket, there shouldn’t be any drop off from a defensive line that spearheaded the entire unit.
They’ll also return their entire group of starting linebackers. The trio of Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander and Dre Greenlaw all fit the modern linebacker archetype that’s more athletic than big, and covers multiple positions. Their versatility helps take away easy throws in the middle of the field which puts pressure on the quarterback to make big throws against a good secondary.
Questions beyond Kinlaw loom though. Ward was back in the lineup by Week 5 and played the final 13 games of the season. It’s only the second time in his six-year career that he played more than 11 games. He’s superb in the back end of the defense, but his health remains a concern.
Richard Sherman is coming off an All-Pro campaign, but he struggled in the Super Bowl and turned 32 in March. His ability to come through with another effort like that is of monumental importance to the 49ers’ defensive backfield.
The corner spot across from Sherman is shaky as well. Ahkello Witherspoon was playing like an All-Pro before a foot injury in Week 3 sidelined him. His backup, Emmanuel Moseley, played well in his stead, but hasn’t been consistent enough to pencil in as the starter. That’s a position battle that needs to produce a quality starter for San Francisco.
All the pieces are in place for the 49ers to again put together the one of the NFL’s best defenses. They’ll be that even if they see a regression. If all those question marks wind up falling their way, the 49ers could find themselves back in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year.
[vertical-gallery id=656619]