Maybe it's because the news slipped out without much fanfare, but it wasn't exactly surprising that there was a muted, almost shrugged-shoulders reaction to news the San Francisco 49ers had restructured defensive tackle Javon Hargrave's contract, likely pursuant to a salary-cap cut, on Tuesday.
That seems to speak to Hargrave's impact on the Niners, that is to say, basically nil.
Since his much-heralded arrival from the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency in 2023, he's recorded eight sacks in 19 regular-season games.
Not terrible numbers, but hardly the game-changing player the 49ers likely thought they were getting when they signed him to that mammoth four-year, $84 million dollar deal.
If that seems harsh, stop reading this for a second and try and think of a consequential play made by Hargrave in crunch time of any game. Or, better yet, think of a single highlight he's had with San Francisco.
You're back already? Thought so.
It is a little harsh on Hargrave, admittedly. He put up a solid effort in his first year, and was only expected to ascend in his second before he suffered a brutal triceps tear three games into the season. Regardless, it would seem that this has to go down as a big-move failure by the red-and-gold regime, something of a rarity.
Time for a new 49ers strategy?
What it may also signal is a change of strategy along the defensive line. After all, Hargrave himself represented a genuine shift in philosophy from San Francisco when he was signed. It was only a few years prior that the 49ers elected to trade away a similar type of player in DeForest Buckner before drafting Javon Kinlaw to replace him.
It seemed as though the Niners were happy with Arik Armstead and whoever else, rotating the spot between the likes of Kinlaw, D.J Jones, and Kevin Givens, among others, as well as developing "unpolished gems" like Charles Omenihu.
Essentially, the 49ers seemed to believe their best investment in cap dollars was away from the middle of the defensive line.
Instead, the money shifted to the edge spot where the Niners drafted (and paid) Nick Bosa, as well as investing significant money or draft capital in the likes of Dee Ford, Samson Ebukam and Drake Jackson.
That strategy paid off under previous coordinators, Robert Saleh and Demeco Ryans, with the "NASCAR" fronts and dominant D-line taking over games, leading to a Super Bowl appearance and multiple playoff runs.
However, Hargrave's signing signalled a shift in that philosophy.
49ers pushed their money to the middle
With Hargrave's big paycheck taking up a lot of money in the D-line's interior, the 49ers shifted to trying to find bargain-basement help opposite Bosa (think about the likes of Cle Ferrell, Arden Key, and the current incumbent of the bookend Leonard Floyd). There's also been precious little draft capital invested in finding Bosa a pass-rush partner either, with Robert Beal Jr. the only draft pick besides Jackson, and it's fair to say neither have set the world alight.
Whether that worked or not is up for debate. After all, the Hargrave-rostered 49ers returned to the Super Bowl in February of 2024, narrowly losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. It's also not a trend the 49ers started themselves, as many teams have invested heavily in the interior defensive line in the last few years, leading to an increase in money for interior offensive linemen, too, such as the Carolina Panthers' Robert Hunt's five-year, $100 million deal.
However, as the rest of 2024 rounds out, the edge-rushing production has been mediocre, and without Bosa, it's even worse. While Floyd has been OK in Bosa's stead, the fact the Niners' top depth options at the position are bottom-half-of-the-roster players like Sam Okuayinonu should be a cause for concern. Okuayinonu has done far better than could reasonably be expected, and he may prove to be another diamond in the rough, but he shouldn't be the No. 3 defensive end on a championship contender.
A return to the 49ers' old habits?
It's fair, therefore, to wonder if the impending cut of losses on Hargrave, as well as the diminishing returns of reclamation project free-agency policy, will prompt San Francisco to shift back to investing money and draft capital into finding depth outside rather than at defensive tackle.
This seems likely, as even with Hargrave, the 49ers retooled that spot this year by bringing in the likes of Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, and Yetur Gross-Matos. Couple that with emerging rookie Evan Anderson and the development of Kalia Davis, and you have a position that had quite a bit of depth, whereas the edges see replacement-level players playing significant snaps.
Whether that proves to be the case or not, there's no doubting Hargrave's deal restructure is akin to asking for a mulligan on the move. And it'll be interesting to see how and what changes about the approach San Francisco takes to adding to the D-line moving forward.