49ers begin 2018 training camp with a familiar starting defense

Although the San Francisco 49ers added a number of defenders to their roster over the offseason, the Niners opened 2018 training camp with just one change to its starting defensive unit.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan entered the 2018 offseason knowing the Niners needed to improve on defense, after allowing 383 points and over 5,600 yards in 2017, and ranking 26th in the league in Football Outsiders’ DVOA.

The 49ers first addressed this need in free agency, with the splash signing of cornerback Richard Sherman, as well as the addition of edge rusher Jeremiah Attaochu and linebacker Korey Toomer.

The Niners added additional defensive talent in the 2018 NFL Draft, using six of their nine picks on defenders, including two second-day selections. After the draft, the 49ers continued to stockpile undrafted free agents who played on the defensive side of the ball.

While many of these players will play important roles for the team in 2018, the San Francisco 49ers began training camp with a familiar starting defensive unit that included just one upgrade from the previous season:

The one addition is an important one, as Sherman — a shutdown corner during his time with the Seattle Seahawks — is an obvious upgrade over cornerback Dontae Johnson, who Pro Football Focus ranked as their third-worst CB in 2017.

Otherwise, the 49ers’ starting defense on the first day of training camp looked nearly identical to the team’s starting defense from the 2017 season.

Although the 49ers will make changes to their starting lineup between now and the beginning of the regular season, the similarity between today’s lineup and the team’s 2017 lineup shows Lynch and Shanahan believe they made the correct personnel decisions last year.

In 2017, the team went through expected growing pains during the transition to new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme. However, the 49ers’ defense began to gel toward the end of the season, particularly thanks to new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s ability to extend offensive drives, which helped keep the team’s defenders rested on the sideline.

While the Niners’ 2017 defenders will have the first shot at starting jobs, don’t count out members of the 49ers’ exciting 2018 rookie class, highlighted by BYU linebacker Fred Warner, who Niner Noise’s Jeremy Wohlfart believes could be a breakout star in 2018.

Warner will challenge linebackers Brock Coyle and Eli Harold for playing time, as will Malcolm Smith, who signed a starter-caliber contract last offseason, but missed all of 2017 due to injury. Once Smith returns from an unrelated minor leg injury, he will push Coyle for a starting job, and is also the leading candidate to replace Foster during his two-game suspension.

Will a year of experience for the San Francisco 49ers’ young defenders — and another offseason learning Saleh’s new defensive system — be enough to elevate the team’s defense this season? Or will the Niners’ newcomers win starting jobs and play prominant roles on defense in 2018?