The San Francisco 49ers defense earned Pro Football Focus' second-highest overall grade last season with an 89.9 mark, just shy of the New York Jets' 90.0. San Francisco's 89.7 pass-rushing grade ranked third, behind the Cleveland Browns (91.3) and Dallas Cowboys (91.0).
Despite the strong performance, the unit was erratic, and there was room for improvement. Team decision-makers set off to revamp the group in free agency.
Last season, the 49ers tried to boost its pass rush by trading for Chase Young. While Young made an impact, it was less significant than the team had hoped. As a result, Young, Clelin Ferrell, and Randy Gregory were allowed to depart in free agency. The team signed Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos to replace them.
The 49ers hope the combination of Floyd, Gross-Matos, and Nick Bosa will frustrate opposing quarterbacks this season, boosting the team's chances of finally winning a championship. All three have reportedly looked good in the early days of training camp.
When asked to assess Bosa and the depth at defensive end, head coach Kyle Shanahan said, "He looked like Nick, so that's pretty good. And the depth has been great. I've been real excited about it so far. Seems like we've got great depth, seems like we're improving. But it's also four days in, too. I'm excited to get pads on, on Monday."
Floyd brings a lot of experience to the defensive line. He has been highly productive in recent years, recording at least nine sacks in each of the past four seasons, including 10.5 in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams and 10.5 last season with the Buffalo Bills. What has Shanahan observed from Floyd since his arrival?
"That he seems just like the guy I've always gone against," Shanahan answered. "Same type of body, same type of athlete. Getting to know him as a person, he is like advertised. I mean, the guy loves football. He's got a hell of a motor, real fun to be around."
Last week, when asked about the new additions to the pass rush, Bosa said, "Floyd looks great, which is expected. But yeah, I like all the additions. Really good dudes. We had a nice D-line dinner before we left (at the end of the offseason program last month) to get to know each other a little bit, and I'm excited."
Shanahan is also excited about the development of former fifth-round draft pick Robert Beal Jr., the second-year defensive end who spent the start of last season on injured reserve before being activated on November 27, 2023.
Reporters have noticed that Beal looks stronger heading into his sophomore NFL season. Shanahan was asked if he had bulked up this offseason.
"I think he has a little bit," the coach responded. "I think he made some big steps towards the end of last year, and he's helped us out on special teams. He's trying to be a part of our group, and get in that rotation as a rusher, and get better in the run game.
"But, I've been excited about Robert. He had a good offseason. He's been good in these four days, and we'll see how he goes."
The 49ers will hold their first padded practice on Monday, allowing Shanahan and the coaching staff to evaluate how the revamped defensive line performs against more effective blockers along the offensive line.
Shanahan added, "You try not to make big judgments as a coach until the pads get on because things get a lot realer when that happens."
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