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San Francisco 49ers: 10 Best & Worst Case Scenarios for the 2016 Season

By Peter Panacy

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeForest Buckner 49ers
Dec 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 7: How Will the Defensive Line Pan Out?

Let’s flip onto the other side of the ball and focus on another area for which the 49ers made serious offseason upgrades.

San Francisco’s first-round addition of former Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner should provide a major jolt to a unit which looked pretty much solidified at the tail end of 2015. Buckner will join former Duck teammate, turned 49ers teammate, Arik Armstead as well as defensive tackles Quinton Dial and Ian Williams.

All four will be worth watching this season, and the three veterans — assuming Williams returns healthy from an offseason ankle procedure — will likely be starters in San Francisco’s 3-4 base scheme. Buckner will be rotated in but will still see his fair share of snaps.

And don’t sleep on former Appalachian State defensive lineman Ronald Blair either.

Best-Case Scenario

The 49ers defensive line, now laden with depth, returns to being one of the better forces a la the days of retired defensive end Justin Smith and Co.

Bookended by 6’7″ ends Armstead and Buckner, who are pocket-wrecking forces, the Niners D-line makes easy work of collapsing opponents’ pockets and freeing up lanes for San Francisco’s crop of pass-rushers to get to the quarterback.

And the 49ers’ run defense also gets a boost, thanks to the solid play of Williams. Williams ranked out as San Francisco’s best run-stuffing D-lineman last year, per PFF.

Worst-Case Scenario

Despite a promising rookie year of his own, Armstead suffers a sophomore slump. And Buckner doesn’t come close to living up to the hype expected out of a top-10 draft pick.

Dial and Williams remain good players, but the depth is tested thanks, in large measure, to head coach Chip Kelly’s uptempo offense. By the end of the season, San Francisco’s D-line is worn down and underachieving in a big way.

Next: No. 6: Focusing on the Pass Rush