The San Francisco 49ers' defensive line recently took a hit with the loss of Javon Hargrave along the interior. Coaches hope the team's depth can step up in Hargrave's absence. The unit showed promise on Sunday against the New England Patriots, recording a season-high six sacks, with Kevin Givens leading the charge with 2.5.
"Oh, it's huge," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters this week. "I thought the defense as a whole, and especially the D-Line, really rose to the occasion for that game. Just with what's happened the last two weeks and losing Javon last week, their backs were a little bit against the wall, and Jordan Elliott (knee) going out in that game in the second quarter that made it real tough, too."
The 49ers are hopeful that Kalia Davis can make an impact this season. The defensive tackle's practice window was opened this week after being on injured reserve with a knee injury since August.
However, if San Francisco's defensive line struggles to maintain this production as the season progresses, the team might explore a trade for an interior defender. Brian Renick of the "No Huddle Podcast" suggested an intriguing option—38-year-old veteran Calais Campbell, who signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
In 123 snaps this season, Campbell has earned a Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade of 81.5, his highest since 2016. While his run defense grade is 66.8, that's still better than what Hargrave has achieved over the past five seasons. Campbell's 10 pressures would tie for third on the 49ers' current roster.
"Campbell's played about 54 percent of the defensive snaps for the Miami Dolphins, so he's playing about half the time," Renick said. "But even in that half time, over four games, he already has two sacks and four tackles for loss. So again, still a productive player at his age, but it probably wouldn't take a ton in compensation (to acquire him)."
The Dolphins' 1-3 start and bleak 2024 outlook could push them to seek draft capital in exchange for talent.
"You've gotta think that these Dolphins are probably already looking at the 2024 season and going, 'This is not our year,'" Renick continued. "Let's shed some salary, let's get some cap relief, let's roll some stuff over. Because who knows? They might be looking for a quarterback this offseason because no one knows what's going to happen with Tua [Tagovailoa]."
Co-host Al Sacco chimed in, "That's the thing with Miami. Are they going to be in fire-sale mode soon? Because they're 1-3. They look horrible. They look horrible even with Tua in there."