The 49ers are Over-Invested in their Defensive Line

The 49ers don't like scheming pressure, simulating pressure or sending extra pressure. They like to rush the same four defensive linemen in the same four rushing lanes every play.

Grant Cohn | Jun 18, 2024

Nov 12, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Nick Bosa (97) and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (98) celebrate a sack against Jacksonville Jaguars during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports / Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have an extremely simple philosophy on defense: Hit the quarterback.

If they can make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable, they feel they'll win. And so they have made their defensive line the most important position group on the team. They throw money and draft picks at the D-line because they feel they need at least four outstanding players who need zero help to get to the quarterback.

The 49ers don't like scheming pressure, simulating pressure or sending extra pressure. They like to rush the same four defensive linemen in the same four rushing lanes every play. The 49ers pay those players big money to win their matchups. And yet they ranked just 20th out of 32 teams in sack percentage last season.

That's because offenses can neutralize a good four-man pass rush. They can chip Nick Bosa, which they do almost every play. They can double-team Javon Hargrave, which they do quite frequently. And they can throw quick passes, which lots of offense do these days. The 49ers offense throws quick passes.

That's why the trend in the NFL is to stop spending on lots of expensive defensive linemen. Instead, scheme up the pressure. Drop a defensive lineman and rush a nickelback. Disguise the rush. Make the offense guess which players are rushing and which ones are dropping.

The 49ers don't do those things. They're behind the times. And it's costing them money. They need to cut Javon Hargrave as soon as possible and spend that money on linebackers or defensive backs.

Published Jun 18, 2024

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.