49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive tackle Arik Armstead
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise kicks off our annual “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players by taking a look at defensive tackle Arik Armstead and his projection for this season.
Each year, Niner Noise runs our annual “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players for the upcoming season. And this year, starting alphabetically, we kick things off by taking a look at veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead and his projected impact for the 2018 season.
Armstead, 24 years old, begins his fourth year at the pro level after the Niners took him 17th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.
While he was known for his potential as a pass-rushing 3-4 defensive end, Armstead was asked to switch roles a bit last season and hold down a crucial edge-rushing role in San Francisco’s new 4-3 base defense.
In limited numbers, prior to a season-ending hand injury in Week 6, the results were a bit of a mixed bag:
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/10/2018.
In 2015 and 2016, Armstead was among the league leaders in 3-4 DEs in Pro Football Focus’ pass-rush productivity metric:
#49ers Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead finished second in pass rush proficiency out of all 3-4 DEs with a grade of 11.8. Per @PFF. pic.twitter.com/OQ2KlKi8jU
— 49ersHive (@49ersHive) June 21, 2017
That 11.8 number dropped to 7.9 last year, though, following the switch to a 4-3 EDGE. Interestingly enough, PFF gave Armstead a higher run-defense grade (79.7) in 2017 than pass-rushing grade (76.3).
Yet with no clear answer for the pass rush off the edge, what should we project Armstead’s role to be this upcoming season?
More importantly, will he finally begin to thrive in this role and live up to his first-round draft status?
Why Arik Armstead Will Improve
Unlike his first three years in the league, Armstead won’t have to worry about learning a new defensive system. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s 4-3 Under base will be replicated from last year.
The continuity should provide a bit of a bonus, particularly if he understands exactly what his role will be.
And that role likely includes placing Armstead as the strong-side defensive end on running downs, where he can use his above-average run-stopping skills to good use. This is what general manager John Lynch indicated (h/t Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee), and it makes sense.
Lynch said Arik Armstead, a Leo last year, will line up at ‘big end’ on base downs and that Solomon Thomas will be Leo on early downs.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) April 23, 2018
Armstead, whose 6-foot-7 frame has some EDGE limitations, hasn’t shown the edge-bending ability to rush from the outside. It’s on the inside where he’ll make his mark and provide a disruption.
Why Armstead Regresses
While the defensive scheme remains the same, Armstead’s role in it appears to change.
Putting Armstead primarily into a run-stopping role negates the pass-rushing abilities he flashed between 2015 and 2016. And the move suggests the Niners are looking at him as more of a run stopper than anything else at this point.
Interestingly enough, the 49ers averaged 118.4 rush yards against per game with Armstead out of the lineup compared to 112.8 with him present.
San Francisco 49ers
Is it a big difference? Probably not, and there are obviously more reasons to the difference.
Armstead has shown an ability to be a major force in the preseason and, at times, during the regular season. The problem has been generating the same effectiveness continually.
Staying along this same trajectory, or even regressing, would be a negative sign of his future with the team.
What to Expect with the 49ers in 2018
Somewhat interestingly, the Niners picked up Armstead’s fifth-year option for 2019, which would be fully guaranteed at the start of the league’s new year just under a year from now.
Plus, it’s fully guaranteed in the case of serious injury. And at over $9 million, that’s quite a chunk of change for San Francisco.
It’s a bit puzzling to see why the 49ers would do this. Perhaps they’re banking on a big “prove it” year out of the former Oregon product, banking on the continuity and moving him to a more natural position.
Overall, San Francisco is banking on Armstead staying fully healthy this year. At best, he exceeds expectations and finally lives up to the raw-but-promising level many considered him when he was drafted.
If he doesn’t, but stays healthy, the Niners simply cut him before the league’s new year begins.
Next: 3 roster questions facing the 49ers this offseason
But that’s an issue to worry about after San Francisco wraps up its 2018 campaign. Meanwhile, Armstead will have to live up to his possibly lucrative billing to justify staying around after this season.