While the 49ers will be far from happy with the porous nature of their defense in 2025 — even with a slew of injuries hampering that side of the ball — there will be an internal acceptance that, for Robert
Saleh and his group, this season is as much about the development of young players as it is about results.
San Francisco’s reliance on the youth movement on defense increased with the injuries to the likes of Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. This is a unit relying hugely on players selected in one of the previous three drafts, with several rookies seeing significant playing time.
As such, regardless of what the overall numbers say this season, the 49ers will cling to signs that players who are likely remain prominent features of the defense in coming years are moving in the right direction.
And there were some very positive signs from two rookies whom the 49ers hope will develop into foundational pieces on the defensive line as San Francisco thrashed the Arizona Cardinals 41-22 in Week 11.
In terms of raw yardage, it was not a good day for the 49er defense, which allowed Jacoby Brissett to complete 47 passes — an NFL record — for 452 yards.
Yet the 49ers picked off Brissett twice in a game that saw three Cardinals turnovers and held Arizona to just 36 yards on the ground.
Brissett’s extraordinary passing numbers and the meagre rushing production for Arizona were a product of game script, with the Cardinals falling behind early on, and that it was obvious the hosts’ offense could find consistent success throwing on the 49ers.
But the 49ers also deserve credit for how they shut down the run — though a 60-yard Bam Knight touchdown run was nullified for holding — with their success owing a great deal to their two rookie defensive tackles.
CJ shows out
Second-rounder Alfred Collins and fourth-rounder CJ West were each primarily drafted for their run-stopping prowess, each having excelled in college in holding ground against double teams, quickly and violently working off blocks, and finding the football.
Both did an excellent job in preventing push from the Arizona offensive line last Sunday, with Collins receiving special praise from George Kittle after the game.
“I can’t get over Alfred Collins and his effort on every single play. It’s one of the things that stands out to me the most, but Alfred Collins and justhis effort on every single play. I’m used to watching Bosa and Warner. That’s who I usually watch, but now I just watch the d-line and I’ve just got to pick and choose but Alfred has just stood to me. Just his constant effort of no matter where the ball is he just chases it down and I really appreciate that from a young player.”
Yet it was West who stood out the most in run defense up front. West was active for the eighth time this season, getting the nod ahead of Clelin Ferrell and Kevin Givens, and he vindicated that decision.
Indeed, the former Indiana defender was outstanding when double teamed and dominated his opponent when single blocked, with his effort in pursuit rewarded as he recorded four combined tackles, the most of any 49er defensive lineman in the game and the most for him in his fledgling NFL career to date.
Of the 31 defenders with at least 10 run defense snaps this season, West is fourth with a run stop rate of 8.0% per Pro Football Focus. That number is also the highest among all 49er interior defensive linemen.
He and Collins still have steps to take as pass rushers, though the latter is showing some encouraging signs in that area, but the arrow is pointing up for them is impactful run defenders, which is what the 49ers drafted them to be in the wake of a miserable 2024 stopping opposing ground games.
A lack of interior pass rush remains the biggest issue for the 49ers up front. Though Bosa remains a huge loss, the 49ers have players who can win off the edge, and Bryce Huff, Sam Okuyainonu and, to a slightly lesser extent, Keion White did so against the Cardinals.
But often the 49ers’ edge pressure has no impact because it is not supported by an interior rush, though one player did provide reason for optimism in that regard in Week 11.
Kalia leads the way
Defensive tackle Kalia Davis, a 2022 sixth-round pick, led the 49ers in pressures last Sunday, registering four. Saleh had expressed hope Davis would fare better as a pass rusher without the cast he had been playing with following surgery on a broken hand, and that proved to be the case.
His success primarily came on stunts and, while he did not record a sack, he had the pressure that led to Brissett’s interception by Deommodore Lenoir. Jordan Elliott served as the penetrator, occupying two blockers, allowing Davis to win his one-on-one as he looped round, showing impressive lower-body flexibility to flatten towards Brissett and force him from the pocket and into an ill-advised throw.
Davis is a free agent next offseason, and the 49ers will face a decision as to whether they want to keep him around. Given he likely won’t be expensive and has shown value against the run and, more sporadically, as a pass rusher, they will probably lean towards trying to do so.
It’s clear, though, that the 49ers will need to continue to invest in the defensive interior if the front is to become a formidable one again. But, in a difficult season, there have at least been flashes from the likes of Collins, West and Davis to suggest they have players in that area who can be long-term contributors.
The victory over the Cardinals was the 49ers’ most complete win of the season, and it provided perhaps the most compelling evidence yet that there is indeed reason for optimism around the health of the defensive tackle spot.
