49ers roster: 4 biggest questions about the defense in 2021

Linebackers Coach DeMeco Ryans of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Linebackers Coach DeMeco Ryans of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /
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Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Can the 49ers rediscover an elite pass rush?

The Niners boasted 48 sacks in 2019, which was tied for fifth best in the league that season. But after losing EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford to season-ending injuries early in the year, San Francisco’s sack totals fell all the way to a mere 30 in 2020, good for 22nd, yet Robert Saleh was still able to maintain a top-five defense thanks to his ability to adjust and implement more blitz packages than he ever had before.

Bosa is expected back fully healthy from his ACL tear, yet Ford’s status remains up in the air for the upcoming campaign.

As such, one might expect the 49ers pass rush to fall somewhere in between, nowhere near as prolific as it was with a four-man front back in 2019 but certainly more potent than the 2020 efforts, thanks largely to the return of Bosa.

The looming effects of Bosa’s return should mean good things for fellow defensive linemen like Arik Armstead, whose sack totals dropped from a team-high 10 in 2019 to only 3.5 a year ago. And just like the rest of the defense, it might be wise to assume Armstead’s 2021 numbers fall somewhere in the middle.

This creates another caveat for DeMeco Ryans, who might look to rely a bit more on four-man pressure than Saleh did in 2020 but while implementing more blitz packages than what was seen between 2017 and 2019.

How that works out is anyone’s guess.