The San Francisco 49ers officially finished last in the entire NFL in sacks last season, racking up a pathetic 20. That abysmal performance is already looming large as this season kicks off, with a defensive coordinator scrambling to figure out how to generate pressure against “grown men doing grown men things.”
The Injury Bug Bites Early and Hard
Right out of the gate, the Niners are in a tough spot on the defensive line. Sam Okuayinonu broke his foot, leaving them without a crucial early-down defender. Then there’s the shadow of two huge names coming off ACL injuries: Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams. While the defensive coordinator has a “very high confidence level” regarding Bosa’s availability, it’s going to be “difficult to ease him in” with the current depth chart. Williams, meanwhile, is stuck on the Physically Unable to Perform list. And let’s not forget rookie Romello Height stepping in for Bryce Huff. The DC openly admitted they’ll “ease them into this thing and get them ready to go,” acknowledging it’s a “different ball game” compared to college. He knows it’s “different,” that “these are grown men doing grown men things,” so expecting a rookie to step right in and dominate after last season’s sack numbers? Good luck with that.
Are These the Answers? Doubtful.
With Okuayinonu out and the big names recovering, the Niners are turning to some familiar faces: Ogbo Okoronkwo and Khalid Kareem. The DC sounds confident, saying he has “a lot of experience with” both guys and “a lot of confidence in” them. Kareem, at a solid 268 pounds, could possibly “offset the loss of Okuayinonu.” But here’s where it gets dicey: Okoronkwo, listed at 250 pounds, “might not hold up against the Rams’ heavier personnel packages.” That’s a massive red flag, isn’t it? It also means they’ll be “tempted to leave Bosa on the field” more than ideal. The DC even mentioned he had “some say” in getting these guys there, which tells you everything about how much they had to scramble to piece this unit together.
ESPN didn’t hold back when predicting the 49ers’ biggest concern, unsurprisingly calling out their pass rush. After finishing dead last in sacks in 2025, even bringing in defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa doesn’t erase the massive questions about their edge defense. Can they “weather the storm” until Mykel Williams returns from PUP? And once he does, will he even be the same? If that pass rush isn’t “markedly better” this year, it could be “another long season for the defense.”
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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