Disputing ESPN suggestion 49ers’ Arik Armstead could be cut, traded

ESPN recently suggested the San Francisco 49ers could either cut or trade defensive tackle Arik Armstead, and Niner Noise breaks down why it won’t happen in 2019.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead as the player most likely to be cut by the Niners after the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Here’s Barnwell’s rationale:

"The 49ers have moved Armstead around the lineup and eventually settled on using him as a rush-stopping defensive end last season, which is a position teams generally fill relatively cheaply. San Francisco reloaded on the edge by trading for Dee Ford and drafting Nick Bosa with the second pick, and both of those guys will start at defensive end as the 49ers begin to show more wide-nine looks from their ends next season. Armstead is set to make $9 million in the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which is a lot to pay for a guy who would be playing 30 to 40 percent of the defensive snaps in 2019."

On the surface, Barnwell’s assessment makes some sense. The $9-plus million Armstead is owed on his fifth-year option is a lot of money for a player primarily used in run-stopping situations. And with San Francisco adding edge rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford this offseason, the number of snaps Armstead sees with the 49ers could drop quite a bit in 2019.

Yet there are a few things Barnwell likely didn’t take into consideration when listing Armstead.

First, the Niners aren’t exactly in salary cap hell heading towards the regular season. Currently, according to Over the Cap, San Francisco boasts $34.6 million in cap space — fourth most in the league. Roughly $10 million of that will be used to sign first-year players, but that won’t impact general manager John Lynch’s fiscal decisions this year.

Simply put, money isn’t a concern in 2019.

Second, as Niner Noise broke down in another piece why Armstead’s job is safe this season, is the fact he was the team’s second-best defender last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Especially against the run:

"For starters, and despite their defensive woes this season, the 49ers are actually good against the run this season, averaging 4.1 yards per carry against, which is ninth best in the NFL. Armstead is a chief reason why, and his team-best 82.4 PFF run-defense grade is a testament to his efforts here.That’s pretty important when one factors in the Niners have to see the Los Angeles Rams’ Todd Gurley, the Arizona Cardinals’ David Johnson and a budding Seattle Seahawks running back, Chris Carson, each twice a year."

There’s another reason, too.

Despite the likely desire San Francisco has to keep Armstead around this season, the depth along its defensive line is considerable. With Armstead poised to hit free agency in 2020, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the 49ers let him walk a little less than a year from now, freeing up a roster spot and letting some of the other cheaper options fight for Armstead’s role.

More importantly, though, that increases the chances of the Niners getting a compensatory selection in the NFL Draft, depending how actions in free agency go.

Right now, however, San Francisco will want one of its better defenders on the field amid a season where there’s much more pressure on the franchise to deliver wins instead of finding bargain options.