The 49ers will get a boost on the defensive line in Week 5, with last year’s first-round pick Mykel Williams primed to make his return against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Williams’ first appearance since tearing his ACL last November in a win over the New York Giants will give the 49ers much-needed extra depth up front and a starter who operate as a base end and kick inside on pass-rushing downs.
And, with star edge rusher Nick Bosa seen practicing on a side field on Thursday as he targets a return
in Week 6 against the Washington Commanders, the 49ers’ situation on the D-Line is looking up.
When Bosa joined Williams on the sideline with a calf injury, the Niners appeared to be in something of a desperate position on the defensive side of the trenches with C.J. West, Alfred Collins (out for the season) and Sam Okuayinonu all on injured reserve.
The injury issues the 49ers have dealt with on the defensive line furthered the perception of it being a position group in need of reinforcements via the trade market.
But the 49ers have pieced things together extremely well without a host of players expected to be D-Line contributors, with several unheralded players stepping up in hugely impressive fashion to aid both the pass rush and the run defense.
Height leads surprising pass rush performance
After missing the Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals due to surgery on a broken hand, rookie edge rusher Romello Height returned in the Week 4 victory over the Denver Broncos with a club on that hand and produced the best performance of his young career.
Indeed, Height had the sixth-highest pressure rate among all edge rushers with at least 20 pass rush snaps last week, his performance with the club drawing praise from defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Morris told his press conference on Thursday:
“He had a couple of really good rushes. Was able to get around there and do some really good things. Obviously it’s hard to get on and off blocks sometimes. He got caught up with that [Denver Broncos OL Quinn Meinerz] 77 for that Denver team, that’s a pretty tough guy, a couple of times in there and got him in a vulnerable position. But, Romello’s a dog and I love the way he competes, the way he plays. He’s going to go out there regardless. He might have two clubs on and go out there. He’s that kind of guy. So, I’m just fired up he was able to compete and go out there and help us get a win.”
In addition to the impressive showing of Height, the 49ers got some value edge rush production from Ogbo Okoronkwo as he registered two pressures against the Broncos, per Pro Football Focus. Okoronkwo was released by the 49ers this week to make room on the 53-man roster for Williams before being re-signed to the practice squad.
Osa Odighizuwa and Keion White also stood out. Defensive tackle Odighizuwa had two pressures, with White — whose ability to operate effectively inside and out has proven a huge plus for San Francisco to start the season — had three.
Though there were expectations around Odighizuwa following his offseason trade from the Dallas Cowboys, without Bosa on the field for the last two weeks the 49ers have largely had to lean on unheralded defensive linemen for pass rush production, and the success of those lesser-known players is reflected by the fact the 49ers ended Week 4 tied fourth in the NFL with a team ESPN pass rush win rate of 56 percent.
The primary individual contributors to that number are Height, who finished Week 4 tied-sixth among all edges with 29%, and Odighizuwa, who was seventh among all defensive tackles with a win rate of 22%. However, the efforts up front have also been supplemented by the aggressiveness with which Morris is willing to use his linebackers. Dre Grenenlaw led the 49ers with four pressures against the Broncos as he was continually sent as an extra rusher, while Fred Warner has rushed the passer at his highest rate since the 2020 campaign.
Where the performance on the defensive line has not been quite as strong is in run defense.
Valdez provides reason for run D optimism
The 49ers rank 27th in run stop win rate, yet two members of their defensive tackle rotation provided significant reason for optimism in that area last Sunday. Sebastian Valdez and, to a slightly lesser extent, Naquan Jones both stood out for their play in run defense as the Broncos were limited to just 82 yards on the ground.
Both Valdez and Jones showed an ability to hold ground and violently disengage from blocks that has too often been lacking from the 49er run defense in recent times, with each player making a case for regular snaps even when the 49ers get more players back at defensive tackle, with James Thompson Jr. still out through injury.
Williams should greatly improve the 49ers’ run defense with his edge-setting prowess, while Bosa will be expected to supercharge the pass rush when he returns.
Though the displays of those who have filled the void amid injuries in recent weeks have been far from spectacular, their play has helped reduce the need for panic around the situation on the D-Line.
The 49ers don’t have any stars up front outside of Bosa, but the past two games have established that they do have a solid cast rotational defensive linemen — with Odighizuwa, White and Height the standouts — who can have enough of an impact rushing the passer and defending the run to deliver a game-winning effort.
It would be unfair not to note that the outstanding play in the back seven through the first four weeks, for which Morris deserves great praise, has clearly had an impact in minimizing the deficiencies of injury-depleted front.
But at the same time Morris and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek have found ways to get the best out of their depth guys on the D-Line, and their ability to do so has bought the 49ers a valuable luxury: patience.
The 49ers don’t have to panic. They don’t have to rush to strike a trade that gives them the extra edge rusher or interior defender they may well eventually need. John Lynch and his front office can afford to wait it out a little, safe in the knowledge that Williams and Bosa are on the way back and that the less prominent guys in the D-Line group are capable of contributing to the defensive improvement that has been obvious through the first four weeks of the season.
San Francisco probably will need to do a deal for another defensive lineman at the deadline to give the group the extra bump it may require in order for the 49ers to make a deep run in the postseason.
However, the level of play they have elicited from a group that is not externally highly thought of has bought the 49ers the time to be able to make a considered decision on the type of player they need when the deadline nears. The sack numbers aren’t gaudy and the run defense still needs to improve, but the importance of what a undermanned and unheralded defensive line has done of late shouldn’t be underestimated.
