While the San Francisco 49ers will argue otherwise, the outside perception is that the team ignored the pass rush this offseason. It was an area of the defense that was seen as the 49ers' biggest offseason need heading into free agency and the draft.
While the 49ers re-signed defensive end Cassius Marsh and added Jeremiah Attaochu on a one-year deal, it was widely assumed that they would add a pass rusher via the draft. Round after round went by without the team addressing the position, leaving fans shocked.
"Part of this deal is you have to develop your own talent, so we believe that collectively we've got to get better as a unit." general manager John Lynch said after the draft. "We've got to become better finishers. We believe we have that [on the team now]."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan also expressed his confidence in the players already on the roster.
"We have some pretty good players," he said. "Yeah, we'd love to add whoever the best pass rusher is on the outside in the draft. We'd love to get a Von Miller, but you only get eight up on game day, and you only get nine on our roster. So, you just keep drafting rushers. You've got to be pretty good to beat out (Cassius) Marsh. You've got to be pretty good to beat out (Arik) Armstead. You don't just get guys. If you get them, someone else has got to get cut, and we've got a pretty good group."
Field Yates of ESPN recently examined all 32 NFL rosters and came up with a list of each team's biggest roster decision heading into the 2018 season. He notes that, for the 49ers, it was more of a "development pattern" than a "decision."
"While the 49ers have some promising young defensive linemen -- none more so than DeForest Buckner -- the team does not yet have an established, consistent pass-rushing force," wrote Yates. "The 49ers managed just 30.0 sacks as a team last year, tied for 26th in the NFL. While young players such as Solomon Thomas and Buckner will further develop, there's an incumbent need for veterans such as Cassius Marsh and former Charger Jerry Attaochu to make an impact, as well as a fortified secondary holding up longer in coverage to give the pass rush time to reach the target."
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is hoping the job of applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks becomes a group effort. In the process of developing that, he feels a star might emerge from the group.
"There's a lot of teams that have four really good rushers," Saleh said last month, "and they are very effective rushing the passer, and that's what we're trying to build to be. Who knows, you might be surprised. There might be a star out of the bunch. I have a feeling there might be."
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