The San Francisco 49ers are back in offseason mode, while the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in two weeks after their wins this weekend in the NFC
and AFC Championship Games.
It was an impressive year for the 49ers, all things considered, as they found a way to 13 wins despite getting killed by injuries once again. They saw a number of younger players develop in an especially young group defensively, while Kyle Shanahan got the most out of his offense in arguably his best coaching job yet.
2025 was expected to be a different year for the 49ers, as they shed several veteran contracts and looked to get younger all-around, which is why so many rookies were thrust into early roles. That was after the 49ers were traditionally one of the older rosters in the NFL over the past few seasons (and still are).
Now, with a good understanding of how their younger players have looked, it’s time to make some moves in free agency, while banking on another quality draft in 2026. When it comes to positions of need, one continues to pop up when I’ve watched the playoffs this year: defensive tackle.
The 49ers drafted two quality players at the position in 2025: second-round pick Alfred Collins and fourth-round pick C.J. West. Collins had a slow offseason, but he picked things up and was a regular in the rotation all year long. I thought he had constant improvement, and he’ll be right back in the mix in 2026. West had a few injuries, but he was also a good player, especially against the run, and should be right there with Collins.
Those two should rotate in at one of the defensive tackle spots. But the 49ers need a difference-maker at defensive tackle, and those are really hard to find. However, the elite teams that advance in the playoffs usually have at least one.
Let’s look at the two Super Bowl contenders, who both have strong defenses. The Seahawks selected a top-tier run defender in the first round last year with Byron Murphy. He only had 0.5 sacks as a rookie in 2024, but his impact was felt far past that. In 2025, he’s got the sack production, coming up with seven, and has been a huge part of the front line for Seattle.
But his counterpart, Leonard Williams, has been playing at an All-Pro level (2nd-team All-Pro this year) and has been such a disruptor on the inside.
As for the Patriots, their interior defensive line completely ate up Denver’s run game in the AFC Championship Game. They went out and made a big splash for Milton Williams in the offseason, but Christian Barmore and Khyris Tonga have been good space-eaters as well.
The Rams have a good core up the middle with Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske. Denver’s got a stout room with All-Pro Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, and John Franklin-Myers.
Interior defensive line has become such a premier position because of what they allow defensive coordinators to do. The only issue is that they usually need to come early in the NFL Draft or with a big splash in free agency.
The 49ers had some nice additions on the defensive line in the draft last year, and will get Nick Bosa back. But adding an interior defensive lineman to the group may be a top priority this offseason.
