No. 5: SF 49ers’ D-line depth is going to be a question mark
There was a good hope in training camp San Francisco would get versatile defensive lineman Ronald Blair back from a torn ACL he suffered late in 2019.
As it turned out, though, Blair will start the year on the reserve/physically unable-to-perform list, meaning he won’t be available for the first six weeks of the regular season, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan. While it’s good he’ll return at some point, provided his recovery goes according to plan, it is going to test the 49ers depth chart behind a still-elite crop of first-string defensive linemen.
Last year, Blair accounted for just under 20 percent of regular-season defensive snaps despite missing the final seven games.
That’s significant, and Blair has long been one of the Niners’ better situational pass-rushers.
Likewise, defensive tackle Jullian Taylor is also going to start the year on the PUP list after suffering an ACL tear late in December a year ago, possibly lesser along in his recovery than Blair.
So it makes sense players like defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Kentavius Street made San Francisco’s initial roster, although some of the familiar reserve names won’t be there to start the regular season.