John Lynch eager to get ‘difference-maker’ Arik Armstead back; Jason Verrett a wildcard for 49ers defense

The San Francisco 49ers expect to exit the bye week healthier and better equipped to attack the second half of the season. One of the players expected to return in the coming weeks is defensive lineman Arik Armstead. Foot and ankle injuries have forced the veteran defender to miss five games this season.

"Arik's improving," Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area. "He had somewhat of a significant deal in that he's coming off an injury with your lower half, and that's hard when you're a guy who is as big as he is. You've got to make sure he's right.

"I think the one thing that is apparent with Arik, it's almost as if his impact is subtle when people watch it. It doesn't always jump off [the film]. But I know this—when we play people, those general managers, those head coaches are saying, 'Man, that Armstead's a beast. We're glad we're not facing him.' So we all know.

"I think when you just look at last year, when he did something very selfless and decided to move inside on a full-time basis, that's when we took off as a team. So we can't wait to get Arik back."



Armstead's return could bolster a defensive line that looks to once again dominate the opposition. However, knowing the impact Armstead could have down the stretch, the 49ers are hesitant to throw him back on the football field before he is fully recovered.

"We're going to see, coming off this bye, where exactly he's at," Lynch said. "We're not going to put him out there too early. But we hope that's soon. He's a difference-maker for us. … Arik's got this quality where he makes everybody else [better]. He makes [defensive end Nick] Bosa better. He makes [defensive end] Samson [Ebukam] better. He makes our thing go, and we need him back, and we're going to get him back soon, and we're excited about that."

Cornerback depth

Lynch loves the group of defensive backs that he has helped build for the 49ers. The team went out and signed free-agent cornerback Charvarius Moore this offseason, and that move has—mostly—paid off.

"He had a little lull where his health was compromised, and he battled through it, which I think speaks to his toughness," Lynch said. "But he's played really, really good football, and he's different than what we've had at that position."

The loss of starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to a torn ACL was disappointing. However, Lynch has been impressed with Deommodore Lenoir's play at multiple positions.

"It hasn't been flawless, but it's been really good," Lynch said of Lenoir. "He has a lot of fight to him, and he's a skilled player."

Lynch feels that others, like cornerback Ambry Thomas, are improving with more reps. The general manager believes Thomas can play at a high level against top receivers. The 49ers are also high on the potential of rookie Samuel Womack.

"He's got a skillset that is pretty special," Lynch said of Womack. "He can run, and run, and run, and he's really long. He has long arms that he knows how to use. You saw that in the preseason, fighting for some balls."

Then you have veteran cornerback Jason Verrett, who continues to work his way back from the ACL injury he suffered during Week 1 last season.

"Verrett is the wildcard," Lynch noted. "He's an All-Pro player who's had a lot happen to him in this league. His perseverance is inspiring, inspiring for me, and I'm just pulling for him. We activated him—that's how much belief we have in him—but again, we want him right.

"I think in the past, I can think of one time when we put him back against Pittsburgh (in 2019) when he wasn't ready, it wasn't fair to him. So we've learned from that. We're going to make sure he's right before he comes back, and that could be special if he gets out there."