What 49ers offseason additions mean for Arik Armstead

The 49ers made some tweaks along their defensive line this offseason, and those hopefully get defensive end Arik Armstead back to his 2019 form.

Well, so far, the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2021 offseason has already been more exciting than the entire 2020 season itself.

And with a few quality re-signings and a couple of new signings, it’s worth discussing what those moves and additions mean for defensive end Arik Armstead.

It’s no secret the Niners took a step back in 2020, which was mostly due to a plethora of injuries.  In fact, according to Football Outsiders, San Francisco wasn’t just hit hardest by injuries in 2020, but it was ranked second in terms of most injuries of any team over the last two decades.

It was definitely a forgettable season, one that many members of the Faithful do not want to see a repeat of. Not only was the disappointment felt by the entire fanbase, but players, coaches and staff all felt smote by the injury bug.

With so many players in and out of the lineup during the 2020 campaign, the 49ers struggled mightily to find any type of sustained success which eventually led to their 6-10 finish.  The organization is banking on a huge bounce back season and if free agency is any indicator of things to come, then my money will be on San Francisco to make another deep playoff run.

In order for the 49ers to live up to such high expectations in 2021, they will need to vastly improve in quite a few areas.

One of those areas that will garner a ton of attention is on defense. The Niners weren’t terrible on that side of the ball, per se, but they certainly weren’t the dominating force many expected to see on the field after an impressive 2019 Super Bowl run the previous year. As the season progressed it became painfully clear: Players who remained on the field needed players who couldn’t stay on the field.

Case in point, Armstead.

49ers can get 2019-like production from Arik Armstead if he has help

During the 2019 Super Bowl run, Armstead had his best statistical seasons to date, finishing with 10 sacks, 35 pressures and 17 quarterback hurries. However, the 2020 season featured a significant drop in production from Armstead where he only compiled 3.5 sacks, 23 pressures and just 10 quarterback hurries.

The statistical drop-off in 2020 can be attributed to the lack of firepower along the defensive line.  Throughout the year, San Francisco lost more than six defensive linemen, which included its top two pass-rushing phenoms, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.

Only one starter from their 2019 Super Bowl roster remained in the lineup, and that was Armstead.

With the addition of former Los Angeles Rams EDGE Samson Ebukam, who has an entirely clean slate of health during his NFL career and can also line up as a linebacker, the 49ers are hoping to win more one-on-one matchups along the D-line.

Also, San Francisco is expected to get a healthy Bosa and (hopefully) Ford back in the lineup, which should be able to free up additional opportunities for Armstead.

One should anticipate a bounce-back season for Armstead because he will benefit greatly from all the surrounding pieces. As long as the football gods protect this team from another injury-riddled season, sky’s the limit for Armstead and the defense in 2021.

Sure, it’s too early in the process to be sure of anything. But one thing is for certain: The 49ers aren’t happy about last year’s results and will be more competitive this season.

After observing all the offseason moves so far, suffice to say the Niners brass is aware of the shortcomings and are doing the best to plug all of those gaping holes from years past.

Hopefully to benefit Armstead, too.