What are the 49ers’ 3 biggest offseason needs entering 2023?
By Peter Panacy
49ers offseason need No. 2: Defensive line
If there’s a good note, the Niners have always prioritized their defensive line, and it looks as if that’ll be the case again in 2023 with this group being a pressing need.
All-Pro EDGE Nick Bosa led the entire NFL with 19.5 sacks last season, but no one else on San Francisco’s roster had more than five. Simply put, he needs help. And with the 49ers not getting much at all late in the year from 2022 rookie pass-rusher Drake Jackson, paired with fellow EDGE Samson Ebukam hitting the open market, the need for a No. 2 complement to Bosa is pretty obvious.
On the interior, defensive tackle Arik Armstead hopefully bounces back after an injury-plagued 2022 campaign, but fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is looking more and more like a bust.
At the very least, he’s not the impact player for which the Niners had hoped when they drafted him in the first round back in 2020.
Outside of Bosa, and to a lesser extent, Armstead, no one on San Francisco’s D-line is notably imposing.