How the 49ers Defense has Gotten Worse this Offseason

The best thing the 49ers have done for their defense this offseason is hire Robert Saleh.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh leaves the field after losing to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The best thing the 49ers have done for their defense this offseason is hire Robert Saleh.

Saleh is an elite defensive coordinator who will get the absolute most out of the talent the 49ers provide him. But as of now, he doesn't have much to work with.

So far this offseason, the 49ers have lost seven key contributors to their defense: Dre Greenlaw, Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom and Talanoa Hufanga. And their replacements either will be rookies or players already on the roster.

Greenlaw's replacement currently is Dee Winters, who had 44 tackles in 15 games last season.

Floyd's replacement currently is Yetur Gross-Matos, who never has had more than 4.5 sacks in a season.

Hargrave's replacement is Jordan Elliott, who has five sacks in five seasons.

Collins' replacement is Kevin Givens, who has eight sacks in six seasons.

Ward's replacement is Renardo Green, whom the 49ers drafted last year. He seems extremely promising. But Yiadom's replacement is Tre Brown, who gave up a passer rating of 124 last season on the Seahawks.

And Hufanga's replacement is Ji'Ayir Brown, who got benched for Hufanga last season when he returned from injury.

Ideally, none of those replacements I just mentioned actually will start for the 49ers next season. Ideally, the 49ers will draft seven rookies who will start and make a positive impact.

But who finds seven quality Day 1 starters in one draft? Even the teams that are the best at drafting miss on picks roughly half the time. And the 49ers certainly aren't the best team when it comes to drafting, although they've found some gems throughout the years.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers focus heavily on defense in the upcoming draft.