49ers’ Arik Armstead believes he is hitting his stride, ‘just getting started’

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead had a breakout season last year while playing on his fifth-year option. His team-leading 10 sacks were a career-high. In fact, he'd never racked up more than three in any previous season.

Armstead added two more sacks in the playoffs, bringing his 2019-season total up to 12. That was in addition to the 54 tackles, 18 quarterback hits, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles he registered during the regular season.

The impressive season earned Armstead a new five-year contract worth up to $85 million. Despite the spike in production, the 26-year-old defender feels there is room for improvement.

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"I made some strides (last season)," Armstead told reporters via a video conference call on Wednesday. "I think I became, overall, a better player. I think I got better in every facet. Still a lot to improve on. I want to play faster. I want to work on my get-off. I want to continue to work on my technique and honing in on my skills.

"I think you can get better and better every year. So yeah, I think there's things I definitely want to continue to improve on, but I think I got a lot better last year. I feel like I'm hitting my stride, and just getting started."

San Francisco made Armstead the No. 17 overall selection in 2015. The young defender has Northern California roots, having grown up in the Sacramento area. He continues to do great things for the area through charitable contributions.

"Re-signing with the Niners wasn't so much about the money, for me," Armstead told Chris Simms of NBC Sports in April. "I knew I didn't want to be anywhere else, and I knew I wanted to stay close to home and continue to have an impact on the community there that I'm trying to impact. That's what I was really excited about."