In the larger picture of this 2024 struggle, Nick Bosa’s comments about his fellow 49ers defensive linemen might raise some eyebrows.
“I see a lot of guys in that D-line room,” Bosa said Monday, “and I want all of them back next year.”
On the whole, the 49ers defense — a unit that tumbled from No. 1 in 2022 to 10 in 2023 — has fallen even further this season, dropping to No. 16 in expected points added per play. A particularly abominable stretch of play, low-lighted by league-worst run defense (the 49ers rank No. 28 in that category now) straddled November and December.
But Bosa was out with an injury then, and a productive line has since headlined two strong defensive performances against the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams. The successful returns of safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, which turned the 49ers into a markedly different run defense against Chicago and L.A., even indicated that the line may not have been the primary culprit behind earlier woes.
And now, Bosa is optimistic that his D-line is on its way to overpowering opponents in 2025.
“Watching that tape the other night really got me excited,” Bosa said. “Obviously, it didn’t turn out the way that we wanted. I think we have all the players in our room right now to be that dominant line and I think we looked like it Thursday night.”
A game after sacking Bears quarterback Caleb Williams six times on 11 pressures, the 49ers pressured Rams QB Matthew Stafford 20 times and pressured him into multiple turnover-worthy throws (defensive backs dropped two potential interceptions).
Three games remains, and the 49ers boast an impressive statistical résumé up front.
PRP is pass-rush productivity from Pro Football Focus. Defensive ends are listed in the top half and defensive tackles are listed in the bottom half. Both groups’ percentile scores are based on comparisons to other players at their respective positions.
Veteran edge rushers Leonard Floyd (No. 12 among 69 qualifying edge rushers) and Yetur Gross-Matos (No. 25) have notched 8.5 and 5 sacks, respectively. Maliek Collins, a 2024 trade acquisition from the Houston Texans, has 5 sacks and ranks fifth among NFL defensive tackles in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate. Even newcomers like Sam Okuayinonu and rookie Evan Anderson have delivered with pass-rushing clips near the league median. This has fortified the 49ers’ core pass rush with necessary depth.
“I was just talking to [Floyd] — his performance that first Rams game to this one, unbelievable,” Bosa said. “And he’s playing the run incredible. Maliek’s been great all year — almost a career-high in sacks. [Floyd] is going for a career-high. Yetur is going for a career-high; he missed half the year. I think Evan is going to keep ascending.
“These are all ascending players who are going to keep getting better.”
At the season’s midway point, Floyd scored just above the 50th percentile in pass-rushing productivity. Over the six weeks since, he ranks No. 4 among all edge rushers.
NFL leading edge rushers in pass-rush productivity over the past 6 weeks:
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 18, 2024
1. Chop Robinson
2. Myles Garrett
3. Nik Bonitto
4. Leonard Floyd, 49ers
5. Micah Parsons
Nick Bosa noted that Floyd had found his stride in this new system — and the production backs that up
Stars like Miami’s Chop Robinson (whom the 49ers will face when they play the Dolphins this Sunday) and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett are among the very few rushers who rank ahead of Floyd since the calendar turned to November.
Bosa said that Floyd and Gross-Matos, both free agents whom the 49ers signed to two-year deals prior to this season, have needed acclimatization time to their new team’s Wide-9 pass-rushing scheme. Both players were essentially outside linebackers in 3-4 schemes before migrating to the 49ers’ 4-3 alignment.
“It’s very nuanced,” Bosa said. “The fundamentals and the little things, you have to rep over and over again.”
Gross-Matos suffered a knee injury in the preseason that limited his early-season effectiveness. He spent October on injured reserve before making a triumphant November return, winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after notching three sacks against Chicago.
Gross-Matos said that he’s aimed to mirror the past development of Arden Key and Charles Omenihu, two of the 49ers’ former edge rushers who built steam over time under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. Like Key and Omenihu, Gross-Matos has lined up outside and inside at tackle in certain pass-rushing situations, infusing versatility into the 49ers’ pass rush.
“When I saw their track record of success,” Gross-Matos said, “I said, ‘sign me up.'”
The team’s larger plan is crystallizing. All key 2024 D-line acquisitions — from Gross-Matos to Floyd to Collins to interior run stuffer Jordan Elliott — are under contract through the 2025 season. The hope has been for them to round into form by the back half of this season before hitting that 2025 campaign on a roll.
“Most of them are going to be here next year — I’m excited,” Bosa said. “I want the same guys in the room. I think a lot of growth happened this year.”
Some plans remain murky, such as the future of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. He’s been out since Week 3 with a torn triceps muscle. The 31-year-old joined the 49ers on a deal worth $21 million annually in 2023 and is technically under contract through 2026, but he recently agreed to a renegotiated deal that eliminated $17.8 million of non-guaranteed 2025 salary. It’s now financially feasible for the 49ers to release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation, though the door is also open for him to stay on a reworked contract. It’s worth noting that Hargrave’s best performance of the season, featuring 5 pressures, came during the game in which he was hurt.
Some of the 49ers’ plans will undoubtedly be tied to what they do in late April’s NFL Draft. There’s always a chance the team adds premium D-line talent there. Perhaps that’s what can push the 49ers front back into an overpowering unit.
They fielded a juggernaut in 2019, when Bosa, Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner, and Arik Armstead formed the front line. It hasn’t reached those heights since, but departed players like Key, Omenihu, and defensive tackle D.J. Jones have helped the line enjoy real proficiency around Bosa over recent seasons.
Now, those roles belong to Floyd, Gross-Matos, and Collins — and the line is blossoming ahead of the 49ers’ key 2025 retooling process.
“When you’re in the situation we’re in, Bosa said, “You look at the bright side and the fact that everyone is taking steps in the right direction.”