San Francisco 49ers: 5 biggest disappointments in training camp so far
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Defensive Tackle Arik Armstead
The 49ers have spent considerable effort investing in their defensive line, and 2015 first-round draftee Arik Armstead kicked off that trend during Trent Baalke’s tenure at general manager.
San Francisco 49ers
Armstead was a bit of an odd commodity for the Niners’ new regime a year ago. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh hoped to get the most out of Armstead’s pass-rushing abilities by putting him at the LEO spot last year, but that didn’t exactly pan out, and Armstead ended up missing all but six games in 2017 with a hand injury.
Entering 2018, the idea was to move Armstead to the big end, 5-technique position, which was arguably the smartest way to deploy his natural skill set.
The only problem, however, is Armstead is yet again injured. This time it’s a hamstring injury.
San Francisco announced the injury back on July 31, and Armstead is now listed as week-to-week. He’ll likely miss a good chunk of the preseason, and his availability for Week 1 is now in question.
San Francisco’s defensive line managed to hold its own without Armstead last year, especially after grabbing former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Sheldon Day off waivers. Now the 49ers did pick up Armstead’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, although his $9-plus million salary in 2019 won’t become fully guaranteed until the start of the league’s new year in March.
Barring some incredible turnaround this season, it doesn’t appear likely the Niners will want to hold onto that fifth-year option.