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49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: San Francisco’s defense

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 24: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams is stopped short of the goal line by the San Francisco 49ers defense during the fourth quarter of their game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 24: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams is stopped short of the goal line by the San Francisco 49ers defense during the fourth quarter of their game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers Ahkello Witherspoon
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Ahkello Witherspoon #23 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks up the pass to Tyler Lockett #16 of the Seattle Seahawks during their NFL football game at Levis Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” series starts to wrap things up by taking an all-inclusive look at the San Francisco 49ers defense heading into the upcoming season and while it will either improve or regress.

The San Francisco 49ers made some notable strides to improve their defense heading into 2018, looking to improve upon what was the NFL’s 25th-ranked scoring defense a season ago.

Among the key names brought in were cornerback Richard Sherman, EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu, linebacker Korey Toomer and rookie linebacker Fred Warner out of BYU.

These reinforcements should help a bit, yet the Niners defense will hopefully make some serious strides thanks to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive improvements.

And, more notably, the on-field presence of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo:

A good offense helps the defense. No surprises there. Yet San Francisco enters its 2018 campaign with more than a few questions about how well defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s unit performs.

How will a revamped secondary look this season? Is the pass rush going to be enough? And will we finally see all those first-round draft investments along the defensive line jell together to form a formidable unit?

With training camp kicking off on July 25, these questions are among the pressing concerns the 49ers will have to address. And as the season moves along, other points of note will become apparent.

Will the depth be enough? How can San Francisco prepare itself for the ever-present worry of injury attrition?

As Niner Noise begins to wrap up our annual “Who Is?” series on the roster, here’s an all-encompassing breakdown of the 49ers defense, why it improves, regresses and what to expect from this crop in 2018.