San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, Dee Ford change defense’s potential
The San Francisco 49ers adding Nick Bosa and Dee Ford this offseason dramatically changes the upside for their defense moving forward.
As the San Francisco 49ers entered the 2019 offseason following a disappointing campaign jumpstarted by a season-ending injury for Jimmy Garoppolo, their primary need was clear. Despite some breakout stars on defense, they needed to address the hole at edge rusher if they were to truly tap into the potential the defensive unit could have.
Last season, it was a rotation of guys like Solomon Thomas, Cassius Marsh, Arik Armstead and Ronald Blair that manned the defensive end spots on the 49ers defense. For a team that general manager John Lynch is clearly trying to vault into contention, that group of underperformers wasn’t going to be adequate for 2019. Thus, he started making his move to fix that issue.
In mid-March, Lynch and the Niners jumped on the first opportunity to get a premier edge pass-rusher in the form of Dee Ford. As the Kansas City Chiefs appeared ready to move on from Ford but looked to get something in return as they put the franchise tag on him, the 49ers bit and completed a trade, sending a 2020 second-round pick to Kansas City in return and inking Ford to a massive contract to get the deal fully done.
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Though Ford has played in a 3-4 defensive front for his career in Kansas City, he has the build to still perform well as he transitions to a 4-3 front in San Francisco. Considering he amassed 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles a season ago, he alone was a breath of life for the 49ers defense. However, that was just the first step.
As the 2019 NFL Draft rolled along, the 49ers’ abysmal 2018 season paid off as they had the second overall pick at their disposal. And, with the Arizona Cardinals electing to take the ultimate gamble on Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick, that gifted San Francisco and Lynch the complement opposite of Ford that they needed, Nick Bosa out of Ohio State.
Bosa, though embroiled in social media controversy, is an absolute force on the football field. The Ohio State product is a complete and polished player with an impressive blend of speed and power that allows him to be a menace as a pass-rusher and a plus-defender against the run. Pairing he and Ford together makes for a lethal combination off the edge.
The additions of Bosa and Ford do not make the 49ers defense perfect. There are still viable questions about this group in regards to the secondary. However, when you have a front seven that is now a certified force with those two edge rushers, DeForest Buckner, Armstead and even Thomas along with Fred Warner and free-agent addition Kwon Alexander, that makes life on the secondary much easier.
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With Garoppolo likely returning healthy and with more weapons around him, the 49ers offense should take a step forward as well. And with the defensive additions that really help San Francisco tap the potential of that unit, this team is starting to fully come together. Whether that means they can compete with the upstart Los Angeles Rams and stalwart Seattle Seahawks remains to be seen.
What is clear, though, is that the 49ers current position is one where they’re now in the conversation to compete with those teams. And that doesn’t happen without Ford and Bosa coming to town.