The phrase "next man up" must have seen a spike in usage in the Bay Area in recent weeks. Even as they have shot out to a 3-0 record, the San Francisco 49ers have suffered more injuries than any other team in the NFL.
But every time they lose a starter, another player steps in to fill their shoes.
It's Keion White's turn this week. The Niners will be without Nick Bosa, who suffered a calf injury in practice. Rookie Romello Height is expected to miss the game with a hand injury, leaving White as one of the only (relatively) healthy edge defenders on the roster.
Despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury for Week 4, San Francisco needs a big game from White to take down the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
Keion White is 49ers' key to wrangling Broncos in Week 4
Through three games, White is on pace to shatter his numbers from a year ago. He has already produced two sacks, five pressures, three run stops, and a forced fumble. It's not elite production by any means, but he's been a capable starter for Raheem Morris' defense.
White will need to be more than capable against the Broncos, though. The Niners are without their best pass-rushers, leaving the weight of pressuring Bo Nix squarely on White's shoulders. Even defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, whom the 49ers traded for over the offseason, hasn't been as productive as White thus far, at least on the stat sheet.
The Broncos offensive line has been one of the best pass-protecting units in the league for years. Last season, Nix tied Matthew Stafford for the lowest rate of pressured dropbacks in the NFL.
It doesn't happen often, but when Nix is pressured, he tends to struggle. This season, he ranks 28th of 31 qualifying quarterbacks in both EPA per play and success rate when pressured, per SumerSports. In the structure of Sean Payton's offense, he's excellent. Forced off his spot, Nix often either scrambles or breaks down.
Nix has been more vulnerable to pressure than ever so far this year. Per PFF, he has been pressured on 43 percent of his dropbacks, which is the seventh-highest rate in the NFL.
If White can take advantage of the opportunities Denver's offensive line gives him, and create some of his own, he'll affect Nix just enough to give the 49ers an edge. As the top remaining edge rusher on the active roster, the pressure is on him to have his best game of the young 2026 season.
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