The San Francisco 49ers are looking to continue their success in defending the pass. Last season, the Niners ranked third in passing yards allowed and in yards per attempt. They also allowed the second-lowest amount of passing plays that went 20 or more yards.
However, there's still plenty of areas to improve for this area of the defense.
The 49ers were tied for the ninth-fewest of sacks and were middle of the pack in passer rating, completion percentage, and passing touchdowns allowed.
Right now, the pass defense is looking to be in better hands despite the changes in the secondary. From All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward leaving in free agency to safety Malik Mustapha not healthy to start the season, the 49ers have had to rely on some new names.
And they're doing this with the help of two rookies—cornerback Upton Stout and safety Marques Sigle—who are filling in very well to start the season.
Marques Sigle and Upton Stout already paying dividends for 49ers
Sigle has impressed coaches since day one of training camp. In an interview with NBC Sports Matt Maiocco, head coach Kyle Shanahan talked about how Sigle has been showing his impact from the jump.
"He's jumped off the practice field. I think he did well in the preseason games. But we had a feeling about this guy from kind of the first week." Shanahan said. "We were hoping that he'd be that way studying him at Kansas State. He came in and looked that way really early to continue that way. I was just hoping he'd look that way in the game. And he did. Which was a really good sign for the Niners."
Since getting the start, Sigle has proven Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers brass they made the right choice. In his last two games, he's had 11 total tackles (seven solo). Sigle works as one of the better sideline-to-sideline players on the defense who can use his 4.37 40-yard speed to plug up any holes and provide significant help in the run defense. His speed even helped on his fumble recovery he made in Week 1 when he was starting on the opposite side of the field.
His ability to pursue the ball carrier and take the right angle for the tackle is something that will help immensely. However, he has still made some rookie mistakes, including pass coverage when playing zone. There are also times he will allow his aggression to get the best of him and miss on a play.
But luckily, he has the athleticism and versatility to make up for errors he makes.
Stout had a bit of a shaky start in his first week as the Niners' new nickel. He was jumping on double moves and was making simple mistakes.
However, he's starting to get comfortable with his role and the NFL's speed.
In Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, Stout found himself in a much better position to succeed when asked to cover wide receiver Chris Olave. The rookie allowed one catch, but it was on a play where Olave ran a wheel, and the outside receiver was running a pick to take Stout out of coverage. But Stout read it perfectly and saved a touchdown from happening.
Stout had one penalty for illegal contact when playing Olave in man coverage, but it was great coverage none-the-less. Stout's work in coverage has just shot up so much more compared to Week 1—where he earned a coverage grade by Pro Football Focus of 29.8—and in Week 2, his game grade was a respectable 67.7.
It's not just in coverage where Stout finds himself making an impact for the defense either. He recorded his first sack of his career and has provided a lot of strong run support with a Week 2 run defense grade of 75.1.
However, because of Stout's small frame (5-foot-8), offenses are going to keep trying to throw at him.
Fortunately enough, he's starting to get the handle of his coverage.
Both Sigle and Stout have a lot of versatility and have provided a lot of impact for San Francisco. Now, they just need to keep that up as the rest of the defense—especially with the secondary—get healthy.