It turns out the 49ers’ pass defense wasn’t very good in 2018. They finished No. 11 in yards allowed, but 31st in touchdowns allowed and were the worst team in NFL history at intercepting passes. Their ineptitude against passing attacks earned them the lowest coverage grade in the NFL from football analytics site Pro Football Focus.
While they return largely the same group of defensive backs they had a year ago, there are plenty of signs that their coverage should improve this season. Here are four reasons why that portion of San Francisco’s defense should get dramatically better this season.
Overhauled pass rush
Perhaps the biggest factor in improving the team’s coverage will be the addition of pass rushers Dee Ford and Nick Bosa.
San Francisco’s inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks was a problem very few secondaries in the league would’ve overcome. There were plenty of mistakes in the back end, but quarterbacks were able to capitalize on those miscues in part because of the time they had to make decisions.
Adding Ford and Bosa should accelerate the clock opposing quarterbacks are working with in the pocket, while simultaneously freeing up the pass rush in the middle. All of those factors will make quarterbacks more uncomfortable and give them less time to work, which makes life much easier on players in coverage.
Changes in the second level
A slew of changes in the linebacking corps should help a group that had difficulty in coverage last season.
Another year of experience will help MIKE linebacker Fred Warner, who put together an outstanding rookie year despite some ups and downs. His athleticism combined with an extremely high football IQ and a full NFL season of information to process, he should be even better in Year 2 than he was as a rookie.
San Francisco struggled to consistently put high-quality players alongside Warner last season, and their shortcomings in that area showed. They went out and signed Kwon Alexander in free agency to start at the WILL linebacker spot. The 49ers needed more talent in their LB corps, and they got it in Alexander. He’s coming off a torn ACL which will make him a significant question mark going into the year, but at his peak, he is a superb athlete who’s capable of being a very good player in coverage.
One of the noticeable changes in the 49ers defense will be how the linebackers align. They’ll set up in a more traditional 4-3 look with all three linebackers playing off the ball. That changes some of the responsibilities of the SAM linebacker, which should allow him to provide additional support in coverage against running backs and tight ends.
Healthy secondary
It’s impossible to predict a team’s health throughout a season, but the 49ers suffered some rough medical setbacks in the secondary last season. Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward and Adrian Colbert all finished the season on Injured Reserve. Richard Sherman was battling through the effects of offseason Achilles surgery and Ahkello Witherspoon finished the year on IR. Defensive back DJ Reed also underwent surgery for a torn labrum
San Francisco overhauled their medical training staff over the offseason in hopes of avoiding substantial injuries like they suffered a season ago. They had bad luck in the injury department last season, but the secondary should be fully healthy going into the year despite Ward’s broken collarbone. Getting a healthy year and having a consistent group of players in the back end should help immensely.
More competition
Added competition in the secondary throughout the preseason will be a departure from what that group experienced last season. Starting jobs were mostly handed out prior to the start of the year and the job certainty didn’t help second year players like Witherspoon and Colbert. The result was a season full of mistakes and a significant regression from two players who had strong 2017 campaigns. Opening the competition should, in theory, motivate those in the running for the job to take strides and improve.
The obvious pitfall is if none of the players are good enough to be 16-game starters in the NFL. However, the front office is betting on their roster by not making any significant changes in personnel, preferring instead to let the players on the roster step up and win a job.
Different safety alignment
Another new wrinkle in the 49ers defense will be the abandonment of the single-high safety with one in-the-box safety. Instead they’ll play the safeties in a more interchangeable role to make their coverages less predictable. That will allow the team to be more flexible with their personnel and ensuring they have their two best safeties on the field. It’ll also make it more difficult for teams to know exactly what the coverage will look like before the play. That also takes some of the onus of the 49ers’ personnel to win one-on-one battles, and instead makes it easier to fool quarterbacks into bad decisions.
