Have the 49ers Improved their Run Defense this Offseason?
The 49ers don't have many weaknesses, but run defense clearly was one of them last season.
In 2022 under defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, the 49ers gave up just 3.4 yards per carry -- second-fewest in the NFL. But in 2023 under defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the 49ers gave up 4.1 yards per carry, which ranked 14th out of 32 teams. And in the NFC Championship Game, which the 49ers nearly lost, they gave up 148 rushing yards in the first half. And that was with Arik Armstead and Dre Greenlaw, two of the 49ers' better run defenders.
Now Armstead is on the Jaguars and Greenlaw is recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered just a few months ago in the Super Bowl. Their replacements are defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who's better against the pass than the run, and linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who also is better against the pass than the run.
So while the 49ers' pass rush and pass coverage should be outstanding in 2024, their run defense once again will be a major question mark.
On their starting defensive line, none of the four players are great against the run. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd all are pass-rush specialists. And at linebacker, both Campbell and Fred Warner are coverage specialists.
The return of strong safety Talanoa Hufanga certainly will help the run defense because he's a playmaker around the line of scrimmage. But there's only so much he can do on his own until Greenlaw returns.
Don't be surprised if the 49ers give up lots of yards on the ground early in the season.