How the 49ers Will Replace Arden Key

Make no mistake -- Key is a significant loss for the 49ers.

The 49ers lost a crucial member of their pass rush this week.

Arden Key signed a one-year deal worth up to $7 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers didn't have enough cap space to re-sign him.

Key became the 49ers' best interior rusher in 2021. He finished the season with 6.5 sacks -- second-most on the defense after Nick Bosa, which is impressive, considering Key recorded those 6.5 sacks in just 374 snaps, as opposed to Arik Armstead, who recorded 6 sacks in 820 snaps.

Make no mistake -- Key is a significant loss for the 49ers. And they lost him because they refuse to cut Jimmy Garoppolo and free up $17.5 million in cap space now and another $7.5 million when he passes a physical. They'd rather hold onto Jimmy Garoppolo and maybe get a third-round draft pick in 2023 for him than create cap space and re-sign impact players such as Key. So the 49ers will need someone on the roster to step up and replace him.

Perhaps a defensive end can move to defensive tackle and become an interior third-down pass rusher the way Key did last season. Perhaps Charles Omenihu is that player.

Or, maybe the 49ers are counting on Maurice Hurst, who came to the 49ers from the Raiders last year, same as Key. Hurst was a more effective pass rusher on the Raiders than Key was. Perhaps Hurst will be a more effective pass rusher than Key on the 49ers, too.

Hurst missed almost all of last season with a calf injury, but if he can stay healthy this season, he could become a key contributor. 

Sorry for the awful pun.