The San Francisco 49ers' Best Decision of the Offseason

The San Francisco 49ers made controversial offseason decisions, releasing nine starting players despite having over $45 million in salary cap space. They attempted to replace most of these starters with rookies and cheaper free agents, making the team appear worse on paper.

However, the team prioritized improving its run defense during the NFL Draft, which Pro Football Focus (PFF) identified as their best offseason move. PFF analyst Dalton Wasserman noted the 49ers' run defense was their biggest flaw in 2024, ranking 28th in PFF grade – their worst since 2016. To address this, the 49ers reunited with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and drafted multiple players focused on stopping the run.

Key draft additions for the run defense include edge defender Mykel Williams (who earned an 86.6 PFF run-defense grade at Georgia), defensive tackles Alfred Collins and CJ West (both ranked in the top 20 FBS in PFF run-defense grade in 2024). These three, alongside Nick Bosa, will form the foundation of the new run defense. The team also used third-round picks on linebacker Nick Martin and nickelback Upton Stout to further bolster run defense.

While the 49ers deserve credit for committing to fix a significant problem, the solution relies heavily on starting five rookies. These rookies are expected to struggle initially, meaning the run defense might not show significant improvement until midway through the season, and it may not fully come together this year.