4. Odd roles for the defensive front
The position group that perhaps received the biggest makeover in the offseason was the team’s defensive line. With the additions of rookieNick Bosaand 2018 Pro BowlerDee Ford, the 49ers should sport a stout defensive front going into 2019.
Combine their two new edge rushers with budding star defensive tackleDeForest Bucknerand you could make a case for San Francisco having one of the premier defensive lines in football.
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But the team’s initial depth chart has some peculiar listings.
For starters — or not-so-starters, Bosa is listed as a backup behind both Ford and the returningArik Armstead. However, expect Armstead to play a lot inside at defensive tackle in most packages with Bosa as the starter.
On top of that, 2017 first-round pickSolomon Thomasis still listed as a defensive end despite him moving exclusively to defensive tackle this offseason. It would be surprising to see Thomas get many snaps on the edge after two disappointing campaigns in a row.
Bosa shouldn’t be listed as a backup for long and both Armstead and Thomas should see much more playing time playing from the interior than on the edge.
But if you were basing it solely off the depth chart, that wouldn’t appear to be the case
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