Many fans have been wondering when the San Francisco 49ers will see what they have in rookie third-round pick Nick Martin. After all, this is a defense that has struggled mightily since Fred Warner dislocated
his ankle a month ago.
For much of the season, Martin was a healthy scratch. Martin’s season debut came in Week 7 on special teams. Since then, he’s played on the kickoff, and both kick and punt return teams—no defensive snaps. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if there have been discussions about letting Martin learn the strongside linebacker role, in hopes of getting him on the field.
Shanahan, adamantly, doesn’t believe that’s what’s best for Martin at this point: “Yeah, there are discussions about it, and if we think that’s the best thing to do for the team, we’ll do it, but we don’t think that it is.”
Instead, the team has relied on Luke Gifford, who has about 25ish pounds on Martin. When you’re playing on the line of scrimmage as much as the SAM linebacker does, it makes sense why the 49ers would want to avoid playing Martin in that spot.
On the flip side, Robert Saleh has no issue lining up Dee Winters in a similar spot multiple times a game:
Winters lined up on the line against the Rams more than usual because of the excessive use of tight ends on the field, but he’s been no stranger to that all season. Winters has 54 snaps all year at that spot. He weighs 227 pounds.
That heavy dosage of 12 and 13 personnel meant 26 snaps for Gifford. In the games where Gifford plays meaningful snaps, the 49ers’ defense is at its worst. In the past month, there have been three games where Gifford played over 20 snaps. The Rams, the Texans, and the Bucs. In each of those games, the offense went up and down the field.
Gifford, who was presumably brought in for his run defense along with his special teams prowess, has been a net negative when he’s on the field. The 49ers are -8 in EPA per 60 plays with Gifford on the field against the run. Which begs the question, how bad can Martin be?
The fact that the team isn’t willing to give him a shot is damming in itself. They essentially redshirted Dee Winters in his rookie season and gave De’Vondre Campbell every opportunity to fail last season instead of rolling with Winters. And this isn’t to say Martin has the same skill set or upside as Winters, but it’s like Deja Vu all over again — especially after seeing Gifford get picked on by Sean McVay.
Martin, who played MIKE linebacker during his time at Oklahoma State, was known for being violent at the point of attack, rangy, and a high-end athlete. He did not have strong instincts and was overaggressive, which would cost him whether it was against the run or the pass. But Martin’s strong suit was rushing the passer, and his closing speed affected the quarterback, forcing them into mistakes.
The 49ers need speed. They could certainly use any pass-rush help. But hanging Gifford out to dry in coverage is a losing proposition that any competent offensive coordinator will continue to take advantage of when he’s on the field.
Looking at it from the Niners’ perspective, this was likely a redshirt year for Martin. It was always going to be Fred Warner and Dee Winters, while Martin learns the ropes behind the scenes, and they find a role for him next season once Gifford’s contract is up.
There was no way for the 49ers to predict an ironman like Warner would miss time, which derailed all of their plays. Shanahan spoke about what the defense is missing without Warner:
“You’re missing a Hall-of-Fame player, so I don’t like to say anything to take away from Tatum. I think Tatum’s doing a really good job, but you’re missing a Hall-of-Fame player. Fred is elite when it comes to just how intelligent he is, how he communicates, how he can get us in and out of every single thing, how he can handle every single motion. He’s also elite in covering things from numbers to numbers. Usually if you’re going to throw over the middle, you’ve got to throw it over Fred Warner which allows our safeties to play deeper, it allows our corners to just stay on top. But, when you’re missing a Hall-of-Fame player like that, it unlocks a lot of things which affects all three levels of the defense.”
Behune has been excellent against the run. But it’s a passing league, and if you can’t take away the intermediate portion of the field — an area where Warner has dominated since 2019 — you’re not going to get off the field. Unfortunately, that’s been one of the team’s biggest issues since Warner’s injury. And despite Saleh’s efforts to mix and match personnel, they have yet to find an answer. The answer is out for the season.
