San Francisco 49ers: Lance Briggs worth a look?

By Kevin Parvizi | Mar 23, 2015

The San Francisco 49ers are down to NaVorrow Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody, and Shayne Skov at the inside linebacker position following the shock retirement decisions from Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, as well as an injury to Chas Thomas. Bowman should be back to his best after missing the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL, and perhaps the 49ers will receive solid play next to him from Wilhoite or one of the other ILBs.

Needing depth and possibly a better starter at the position, the 49ers have been considering all of their options. They haven’t kicked around the idea of moving Ahmad Brooks inside, but they have shown interest in draft prospects and free agents Mason Foster and Erin Henderson.

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You can add another veteran inside linebacker to that list, as the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows reports that the 49ers “have had discussions about” Chicago Bears icon Lance Briggs, who was allowed to hit free agency this offseason because of his age and a season-ending groin injury.

If the 49ers are interested in a long-term, high-upside talent at ILB, then they could spend a high pick on someone in the draft. This might make sense following the loss of Borland, and Willis’s retirement also costed the team a marquee player at the position. But if the 49ers would prefer to wait another year, then adding a veteran like Briggs could make sense.

Briggs is a safer bet than either Foster or Henderson, particularly the latter, and, unlike the former, it’ll be easier to hand him a one-year, plug-n-play deal. That said, Briggs’s season-ending injury last season is a reminder that signing him wouldn’t be without risk, because while he is still a consistent presence against the run, he played in a mere 17 games over the past two seasons (hence why the Bears let him leave despite their woes at the position).

In his nine appearances in 2013, Briggs was one of the lone bright spots on the defense with 71 tackles, three sacks, and eight passes defended. The same can be said for his performance in eight games last season on a much more dysfunctional Bears team, though his box score numbers weren’t as impressive.

Although his box score stats weren’t impressive, Briggs was still quietly one of the most impressive 4-3 outside linebackers against the run, and, throughout his career, he has always been a strong run defender. Per Pro Football Focus, he was fourth among 4-3 OLBs in Run Stop% among 37 qualifiers with at least 120 snaps in run defense in 2013 and was in the middle-of-the-pack among 42 qualifiers last year.

That’s not bad at all, and it shows that Briggs can still be an asset in this league, though the 34-year-old might need to be in a two-down role. He’s clearly a liability in coverage, so that’s another negative for the San Francisco 49ers to factor in along with his injury risk.

Since Wilhoite’s speciality is in coverage, it could make sense for the 49ers to platoon Briggs and last year’s starter together next to Bowman, though it could make the 49ers more predictable at the position. Depending on how the 49ers feel about Bowman’s injury and Wilhoite’s ability to hold up as a starter after last season’s mediocre performance, they might not be too worried about Briggs’s injury risk.

Nov 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Lance Briggs (55) reacts after a play against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers are weighing all of their options at the position in an effort to bolster a position central to their defense, and I think Lance Briggs is indeed an option worth considering since he would be a cheap, one-year deal whose only risk lies in his proneness injury.

That said, he isn’t a particularly well-rounded player, and if the 49ers are more interested in a long-term option, then they need to look elsewhere (“elsewhere” meaning “the draft” in this case).

If this team is fine with a quick fix, then Briggs is a quality run defender who can still contribute in this league, though it would be interesting to see if the 3-4 ILB switch would help him or hurt him (this might hinge on time spent in coverage).

It’s important to note that Barrows’s report didn’t state that the 49ers have reached out to Briggs, but rather that they have kicked around the idea of bringing in the veteran run-stuffer, who is open to making the 3-4 ILB switch.

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