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49ers can't afford to be comfortable with unfortunate reality brought on by sneaky big injury
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49ers can't afford to be comfortable with unfortunate reality brought on by sneaky big injury

Originally posted on A to Z Sports  |  By Nicholas McGee  |  Last updated 10/16/24

The San Francisco 49ers have for a long time thrived on defense because of a hugely impressive amount of depth in the trenches.

San Francisco's defense this season has been far from perfect, but it heads into the Week 7 Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs ranked fifth in DVOA, which measures per-play value.

But the 49ers' performance in that regard is not the product of depth on the defensive line.

While Nick Bosa is second in the NFL in pressures (35), per Pro Football Focus, the 49ers are arguably the thinnest they've been on the defensive front during Kyle Shanahan's tenure as head coach.

A season-ending injury to defensive tackle Javon Hargrave left the 49ers with only three healthy interior defensive linemen before Kalia Davis was activated from injured reserve. Hargrave's absence has been exacerbated by an injury to Jordan Elliott that has forced him to miss the last two games.

The situation is not quite as dire on the edge, however, with free agent signing Yetur Gross-Matos on injured reserve with a knee injury, the 49ers are also light at defensive end, with Bosa receiving what can at best be described as sporadic support.

Veteran Leonard Floyd has played well over the last three weeks and the 49ers have gotten a surprising amount of production out of hidden gem Sam Okuayinonu, who has two sacks to his name and displayed some inside-out versatility in last week's win over the Seattle Seahawks.

But the fact the 49ers are relying on Okuayinonu and 2023 fifth-round pick Robert Beal Jr. is reflective of their lack of depth on the edge, with Shanahan conceding that the injury to Gross-Matos, who can also rush from the inside, has left them in a tough spot that is the reality for many teams around the league.

Asked about having to lean on some unproven players on the edge, Shanahan told his Wednesday press conference: "I feel good about that. You always want, you'd love to have four Pro Bowlers just in there, but I think that's the reality of most teams.

"I think it's very rare to have a situation that is better than that. It did hurt, we had big plans for Yetur, so him going on IR hurt, but we hope to get him back later this year."

Shanahan may express comfort with the situation, but the fact Bosa recorded 14 of the 49ers' 31 pressures against Seattle and did not have a single sack, with Okuayinonu the only San Francisco player to bring down Geno Smith, speaks to a paucity of difference-making players up front beyond the former Defensive Player of the Year.

The 49ers took a couple of swings on defensive ends in the trade market last season by acquiring Randy Gregory and Chase Young and neither worked out.

But that experience should not deter them from trying to improve the situation on the D-Line this year. The 49ers are an all-in team with a Super Bowl window many believe is gradually closing, and the best way for them to maximize the opportunity that still exists is to invest more in a traditional strength that looks painfully short right now.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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