Dee Ford: How new 49ers EDGE will impact defense

With the San Francisco 49ers adding edge rusher Dee Ford to the mix after a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, they are starting to build one strong defense for 2019.

Tuesday saw a mass of new signings and trades across the league during day two of free agency’s “legal tampering” period.

And while the San Francisco 49ers missed out on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was dealt from the New York Giants to Cleveland Browns, they did manage to secure themselves an explosive player to add to their defensive roster.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported late Tuesday that the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs had reached a deal which would send EDGE Dee Ford over to San Francisco in return for a 2020 second-round pick:

Rapoport later reported that Ford is expected to receiver a five-year, $87.5 million deal from the 49ers. Ford was originally franchise tagged by the Chiefs following his 2018 season and was set to earn $15.4 million for the upcoming year.

With pass rush high on the Niners’ needs for the offseason, this new signing should help ease the pressure off general manager John Lynch, in this area at least.

So how much will Ford benefit the 49ers? A lot!

Ford broke out in 2018, receiving a 91.0 grade from Pro Football Focus along with being ranked the No. 1 pass-rusher in the NFL. He also led the league with 35 knockdowns, a combination of sacks plus hits.

Ford combined for a total of 55 tackles, including 13 for a loss, as well as 13 sacks, 29 quarterback hits and seven forced fumbles. He led the league in forced fumbles and was ranked seventh in sacks.

Comparatively, defensive ends Cassius Marsh and Ronald Blair each recorded 5.5 sacks each, ranking 64th in the NFL.

With the Chiefs running a 3-4 defense, it is unknown at this stage where Ford will exactly line up, as the 49ers utilize the 4-3 defense as their base. Linebacker Fred Warner will likely retain the duties at MIKE, while newly acquired linebacker Kwon Alexander will take up position at WILL.

The Niners have yet to re-sign SAM linebacker Mark Nzeocha to a new deal, so there is every possibility Ford will be his replacement. With SAM being the 49ers traditional outside linebacker, this would suit Ford fine in passing situations.

There would also be the option to move Ford to defensive end during sub packages, or move Ford to defensive end permanently. With Ford moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense, both could be possibilities.

While Ford is expected to become a key piece among the 49ers defense, head coach Kyle Shanahan will have to decide precisely where he wants him to line up. While there are zero pass-defensive implications if he plays at SAM, if Shanahan shifts him to EDGE, there are some choices which need to be made regarding players currently on the roster.

Namely regarding defensive ends Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead.

While Thomas has been somewhat underwhelming since the 49ers selected him third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, he did see improvement later in the 2018 season while playing more frequently on the inside.

Armstead saw a huge progression in his 2018 season, which led to the 49ers picking up his fifth-year option, worth around $9 million.

49ers reporter Joe Fann recently stated at the NFL Scouting Combine that, according to Shanahan, “Armstead is likely to be used as an outside rusher on run downs and as an inside rusher on pass downs. The same goes for Solomon Thomas.”

And, with the possibility of the 49ers picking up EDGE Nick Bosa in the 2019 NFL Draft, that adds further implications to the final starting lineup.

If you break down the film, Ford has the speed, quickness, bend and ability to get around the edge and should succeed at either position. Not to mention the tremendous value alone he adds to the 49ers at a position they have been weak at for some time.

The 49ers’ defensive front is starting to take shape and should become a dominant force for the upcoming season. However, with the Niners yet to address the secondary, their weakest area for 2018, the defensive picture as a whole is still not great.