San Francisco 49ers: Who is linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise continues our “who is?” series on 49ers players. And in this installment, we look at veteran linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong — a player whose 2016 campaign was cut short due to injury.
The San Francisco 49ers had one of the worst linebacker corps in the NFL last season, but it could have been slightly better had veteran linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong not suffered a season-ending pectoral injury early in 2016.
During the preseason, Armstrong was one of the better standouts within this piecemeal crop, easily beating out teammates Michael Wilhoite and Nick Bellore for the rights to start alongside NaVorro Bowman.
But Armstrong suffered his pectoral injury in Week 2, shelving him for the remainder of the year.
San Francisco 49ers
When Bowman was lost early in 2016 to an Achilles injury, San Francisco’s linebackers went into the tank.
Armstrong has never been a regular contributor since joining the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2013 with the St. Louis Rams. The Rams released him the following year, and the former Miami product signed on with the Oakland Raiders for parts of the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
San Francisco added Armstrong late in 2015, re-signed him the following year and even signed him to a two-year contract extension in December of last season.
With the Niners undergoing vast changes on both sides of the ball, Armstrong may not have a spot in defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense. But let’s break down what the future may hold for the 28-year-old linebacker in Santa Clara.
Why He’ll Improve
Armstrong does have some versatility, capable of playing on the outside and at safety, which gives Saleh some flexibility here.
A year ago, Pro Football Focus awarded Armstrong with an 80.4 overall grade during his brief two-game stretch. It’s a small sample size but worth pointing out nonetheless.
Armstrong has never been a pass-rushing specialist — just one sack over his entire pro career — but he could thrive a bit in specific coverage situations. Keep in mind, Bowman’s Achilles injury may prevent him from the majority of coverage duties. And we still don’t know if rookie linebacker Reuben Foster will be fully healthy for the start of the season.
It isn’t as if San Francisco has other coverage options here either.
Why He’ll Regress
It’s important to note Armstrong has never latched on long term with a team. Sure, players can take a few years to develop and mature. But it’s likely his brief shining moments from 2016 and its preseason were more of the proverbial “flash in the pan” than signs of things to come.
At best, Armstrong is a reserve option. And he might have been better suited for a 3-4 scheme rather than the 4-3 ones in which he operated with both the Rams, Raiders and now with the 49ers.
What to Expect in 2017
Thanks to the addition of Foster and free-agent pickup Malcolm Smith, Armstrong is almost guaranteed not to start this season.
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He’s also probably on the bubble watch during training camp, although his versatility makes him a strong-bubble candidate here.
Right now, the 49ers are probably holding onto Armstrong as an insurance policy in case Foster isn’t ready to go for the regular season. Coverage linebackers are always coveted, and this could be the ticket with which Armstrong secures a roster spot this season.
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Don’t expect much more out of him though. As a reserve, fine. But that’s about it.