San Francisco 49ers: Who is linebacker Ahmad Brooks?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s 2017 “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players this season takes a look linebacker Ahmad Brooks and his fit with a revamped roster.
Each year since 2014, it seems as if San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks is part of the cut-candidate discussion during the offseason.
Yet each year, Brooks still manages to “hang around.”
2017 isn’t any different. At 33 years old, Brooks is a shadow of his former Pro Bowl self. His coverage skills are lacking, and he’s best utilized as a situational pass-rusher in the most ideal of situations.
San Francisco 49ers
But the more I keep talking about Brooks being a cut candidate, the more I think he winds up sticking around on San Francisco’s roster this season.
Sure, Brooks is in a contract year. Releasing him would save $5.3 million in cap space and cost the Niners a mere $848,750 in dead money. Makes sense, right? Let him go and allow a younger, more promising player fill the void.
We’ll see if this still happens, but the 49ers don’t exactly have a sure-thing replacement for Brooks just yet.
Especially not when considering the team’s switch to a 4-3 defense.
Why He’ll Improve
Brooks’ 46.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade last year — ranked 88th out of 109 qualifying EDGE players — certainly can’t keep the base too low for improvement.
And while his six sacks in 2017 was tied for the team lead, Brooks’ issues could easily be attributed to him being on the wrong side of 30 years old. He isn’t getting any younger, and his better days are far behind him.
Yet the Niners lack a true SAM linebacker. This is where Brooks is penciled in to start 2017.
SAM linebackers are often asked to cover opponents’ tight ends and running backs. Ideally, SAMs are a little lighter than Brooks’ 255-pound frame.
But with a fully healthy NaVorro Bowman at MIKE, and either Malcolm Smith or rookie Reuben Foster at WILL, Brooks should at least count on a notably better crop of defenders at the second level.
This is a good thing, especially considering Brooks isn’t exactly the fastest front-seven player out there.
Brooks has also remained relatively consistent in the pass rush. A beefed up defensive line, now with rookie Solomon Thomas in the mix, could open up additional opportunities.
Why He’ll Regress
Age is still a theme, and one has to wonder if Brooks’ lack of production in 2016 was a product of a bad team or a sign of things to come.
With Brooks holding down the SAM spot, he’ll be asked to provide adequate coverage. A year ago, PFF dished out a 72.4 pass-coverage grade for Brooks. But this was within a scheme calling for more over-the-top help with safeties deeper in the field.
San Francisco’s Cover 3 scheme will typically feature a lone safety high. Combine this with an aging player losing speed, and one can see why offenses may want to target Brooks in the passing game.
Brooks’ run defense — missed tackles were an issue last season — also isn’t particularly great. He’ll have help, hopefully, on the left side of the 49ers’ front-seven defense. But he’ll still be responsible for getting to the edge.
Considering this was problematic last year, it’s hard to suggest things will get notably better in 2017 for the veteran.
What to Expect in 2017
If the 49ers absolutely wanted to move on from Brooks, they would have done so by now.
The Niners have only one real competitor for the starting SAM spot this offseason, third-year linebacker Eli Harold.
Harold hasn’t exactly shown much after being taken in Round 3 of the 2015 NFL Draft. Yet a strong showing during training camp and the preseason could mean a swap on the depth chart. If this happens, San Francisco may have little reason to keep Brooks around.
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In all likelihood though, Brooks makes the 53-man roster and serves as a stop-gap option at SAM until the 49ers wind up landing an adequate replacement.
Brooks isn’t going to figure into the long-term plans of this rebuilding franchise. But there isn’t exactly an adequate replacement either.
Next: 49ers' personnel fits in Robert Saleh's 4-3 defense
Not now, at least.