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The 49ers Won't Have One of their Best Run Defenders vs. the Bills

We'll see if the 49ers have enough defensive-tackle depth to stop the run in Buffalo.

Grant Cohn

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackles Sam Okuayinonu (left) and Jordan Elliott (92) talk during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackles Sam Okuayinonu (left) and Jordan Elliott (92) talk during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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Run defense could be an issue again this Sunday for the 49ers.

Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott has a concussion and will not play against the Buffalo Bills. Elliott isn't a household name, but he is one of their best run-defenders according to Pro Football Focus. And last week, the 49ers gave up 169 rushing yards to the Green Bay Packers. So the 49ers need all the run defenders they can get, especially considering Nick Bosa is out and Fred Warner is playing through a fractured ankle.

Elliott became a starter for the 49ers Week 3 after Javon Hargrave tore his triceps and landed on the Injured Reserve List. And the 49ers run defense actually improved for a bit with Elliott on the field instead of Hargrave because Hargrave is a pass-rushing specialist and a liability against the run.

Now, the 49ers will have to start a third-string defensive tackle this Sunday. Expect them to start veteran Kevin Givens and then mix in young backups Kalia Davis and Evan Anderson. Not ideal.

Elliott, 27, originally was a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2020. The 49ers signed him this offseason to a two-year, $7 million contract after they released veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who was an elite run defender when healthy. Elliott had experience playing in the Wide 9 defensive scheme, which is how he popped up on the 49ers' radar. They run the Wide 9, too.

Now we'll see if the 49ers have enough defensive-tackle depth to stop the run in Buffalo.

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Grant Cohn
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.

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