Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 3 reasons the pass rush will be better in 2018 than you think

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled after a short gain by DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled after a short gain by DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans is hit by Elvis Dumervil #58 of the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans is hit by Elvis Dumervil #58 of the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers pass rush is thought to be one of the team’s primary weaknesses in 2018. But here are three reasons why it might be better than you think this season.

A weak free-agent and NFL Draft class largely prevented the San Francisco 49ers from making huge strides to improve their pass rush heading into the 2018 season.

This unit finished 2017 tied at 26th with 30 sacks. The Niners’ leading sack producer, EDGE Elvis Dumervil, is no longer with the team after registering 6.5 quarterback takedowns a year ago.

Instead of reaching or aggressively moving for a quality edge rusher this offseason, general manager John Lynch elected to sign underutilized EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu after four inconsistent seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.

Attaochu, combined with fellow edge rusher Cassius Marsh, will likely shoulder the majority of the outside pass-rushing burden this season.

Still, this doesn’t lead many to believe the 49ers pass rush will be particularly good this year. Niner Noise even listed this as the team’s primary concern heading into this season.

But what if we’re wrong?

Taking the optimist’s viewpoint, here are three reasons why San Francisco’s pass rush might actually see some improvement in 2018.