SANTA CLARA — The general feeling among 49ers players was that they were going to take a hit in terms of defensive depth but having the nucleus back from the top-ranked unit in the 2022 regular season would make for another formidable season.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair left for Tennessee, poached by Titans general manager and former 49ers personnel man Ran Carthon.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans became head coach of the Houston Texans and safety Jimmie Ward and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway went with him in free agency. Defensive linemen Charles Omenihu (Chiefs) and Jordan Willis (Raiders) found new homes.
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley signed with the Lions and will rehab there after a torn ACL ended his season after five games.
What the 49ers and most everyone else didn’t know is general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan had a major strike in mind and struck quickly by signing Philadelphia defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
Middle linebacker Fred Warner wasn’t sure exactly where he was when the news arrived on the first day of free agency.
“But I was probably at home, jumping up and down on my bed,” Warner said Monday at the 49ers’ facility. “That’s as huge as it gets.”
Hargrave and Steve Wilks, who was added as defensive coordinator to replace Ryans, will be closely scrutinized in 2023. Unlike 2019, when the 49ers were able to catch opponents by surprise defensively, last year’s unit was highly regarded going into the season and lived up to the hype.
The 49ers gave up 300.6 yards per game, the fewest in the NFL, and 16.3 points per game, leading the league in scoring defense. The 1,321 yards rushing allowed was No. 2 behind Tennessee, as were the 77 rushing first downs allowed and an average of 3.4 yards per carry.
So any slippage in 2023 will be duly noted.
All eyes will be on Hargrave, who at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds gives the 49ers a dominant push-the-pocket player who contrasts nicely with tackle Arik Armstead, who is 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds.
“I think it’s going to be tough on guards to game plan for both of us,” Armstead said. “I’m excited. I think we complement each other very well. Two different types of players, but I think it’s going to be great, lining up alongside of him.”
Hargrave, who signed a four-year deal worth a maximum of $84 million, gave the 49ers something they weren’t expecting — a top-level free agent. It was the latest example of the 49ers being unafraid to take big swings at players they want, which include the 2018 deal to bring in tackle Trent Williams and last year’s trade for Christian McCaffrey.
The addition of Hargrave makes it clear that simply reaching the NFC title game, as they have the last two seasons, isn’t the endgame.
“I think everybody knows where our head is at from the top down,” McCaffrey said. “We know what we want to accomplish and where we want to go.”
Wilks, 53, has experience running defenses in Cleveland and Carolina, was run out of Arizona after a single season as head coach and was the interim coach for the Panthers last season after Matt Rhule was fired.
Shanahan wanted a coordinator who wouldn’t make wholesale changes to a strong unit, which had progressed under Ryans and current Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who preceded Ryans as the 49ers’ defensive boss. The 49ers have yet to make Wilks available to the media, but 49ers players appear to be on board.
Warner said the Ryans-to-Wilks switch has been a “seamless transition” and that the new coordinator has the respect of his new players. Wilks’ mission statement is to build on the existing system, rather than make wholesale changes.
“I think that was important, bringing in a new coach that has been willing to learn what we do and adjust things to what he believes is going to make us better,” Warner said. “That’s his job is making us the best defense and continuing to raise the bar.”
It would be hard to imagine a coordinator walking into a better situation, with Hargrave joining Armstead on the inside with NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa on the outside. Newcomers include former Raiders No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell and ex-Lion Austin Bryant as ends as well as holdovers Kevin Givens and Kerry Hyder Jr.
Armstead said he personally lobbied for Ferrell, having trained with him in San Jose when the Raiders were still in Oakland. Armstead sees Ferrell as a player similar to Arden Key, Omenihu and Ebukam — all of whom responded well to the teachings of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
“He’s a guy I talked to the coaches and staff about, a guy who would be great to bring here because I know how hard he works and what type of player he can be if put in a good situation,” Armstead said.
New additions to be blended in include cornerback Isiah Oliver, who came from the Falcons going into his second year after an ACL tear and could compete to start in the slot, and safety Myles Hartsfield, a 10-game starter under Wilks last season in Carolina.
Wilks will be the fifth defensive coordinator for Armstead, who has played under Eric Mangini (2015), Jim O’Neil (2016), Saleh (2017-20) and Ryans (2021-22).
“One of my best friends, Shaq Thompson, was with him in Carolina, and speaks very highly of him,” Armstead said. “He told me I was going to love him and ever since I’ve got a chance to meet him, it’s been very true. He’s been a great leader and he’s not looking to change everything we’re doing but just add another level and take it up a notch.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com