Niner Noise
FanSided

Predicting What the San Francisco 49ers Starting Lineup Looks Like in 2018

By Peter Panacy

Dec 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) carries the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) carries the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 11
Next
Dec 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) after being sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. The New York Jets defeated the San Francisco 49ers 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) after being sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The New York Jets defeated the San Francisco 49ers 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line

Nose Tackle: free agent

Defensive Ends: DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead

Again, assuming the Niners stick in a 3-4 alignment, there is only some minor tweaking needing to be made here.

Defensive ends DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead are cornerstone pieces. They won’t be going anywhere, even if Armstead had a down year in 2016. Remember, his shoulder injury — which eventually ended his season — ultimately played into his lowly stats and efforts.

The key question is what to do at the nose.

Defensive tackle Quinton Dial is better suited as an end, and he’s not going anywhere — signed through 2019. But look for him to be a backup and rotational player instead of a starter.

Fortunately, nose tackles tend to be fairly cheap on the open market. At least for a decent one. Maybe San Francisco brings back former Niners NT Ian Williams. But Williams’ injury concerns make this a pressing need still. So it wouldn’t be surprising to see San Francisco dip into free agency.