4 reasons why 49ers coordinator DeMeco Ryans impressed us in 2021

Reason No. 2: DeMeco Ryans made tweaks to 49ers defensive line

A year ago, and for much of 2019, defensive tackle Arik Armstead primarily played the bulk of his snaps on the outside of the formation.

It worked well enough, particularly in Armstead’s 10-sack 2019 campaign, and Armstead has always been valuable defending against the run. But with the 49ers having stockpiled a number of reserve edge rushers to pair with Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa leading into 2021, moving Armstead inside the formation has provided a massive boost.

Armstead might not get the sheer sack totals rushing from the inside, although he did reach six on the season, second best in his career after those 2019 numbers, and the “dirty work” he does to free up players like Bosa can’t be understated.

Read More: How DeMeco Ryans redeemed himself as 49ers defensive coordinator

Perhaps defensive line coach Kris Kocurek gets some credit here, too, but Ryans was instrumental in letting this play out.

Over the second half of the regular season and so far in the playoffs, it’s worked.

Bosa, too, was allowed to move around the formation instead of primarily lining up on the strong side where he’d frequently be chip-blocked by tight ends and slot wide receivers. That gave Ryans even more flexibility, while putting reserve defensive end Arden Key into more of a 3-technique pass-rusher resulted in the former Las Vegas Raiders draft bust turning in a career-best campaign with 6.5 sacks, second only on the Niners behind Bosa.

San Francisco’s defensive line has now turned into one of the team’s biggest strengths.