Ranking the NFC West Defensive Lines
Last season, the 49ers had the best defensive line in the entire NFL, not just the NFC West.
But this offseason, they traded DeForest Buckner, the leader of the defense. So now the 49ers defensive line is still good, but not as good as it was last season.
Is it still the best defensive line in the NFC West? Let’s find out by ranking the D-lines in this division from worst to best. Keep in mind, I count Chandler Jones and Leonard Floyd as defensive ends even though technically they’re 3-4 outside linebackers. Deal with it.
4. The Seahawks
DE: Bruce Irvin
DT: Jarran Reed
DT: Poona Ford
DE: Rasheem Green
This might be the worst defensive line in the NFL. It gave up 4.9 yards per carry last season. And its best pass rusher heading into 2020 is Bruce Irvin, who’s 32 and signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with Seattle this offseason. He played for the Panthers in 2019 and recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks. He’s a cheap placeholder until the Seahawks find someone better.
And they almost certainly will find someone better. The Seahawks have $15.9 million in salary-cap space, and they’re not done signing players -- they signed Carlos Hyde just last week. And the following pass rushers remain free agents: Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen, Michael Bennett, Clay Matthews and Markus Golden. The Seahawks probably will sign one of those five before the season starts. And then their defensive line will be much better, but still the worst in the NFC West.
3. The Cardinals
DE: Chandler Jones
DT: Jordan Phillips
DT: Corey Peters
DE: Zach Allen
The Cardinals defend the run well. They gave up just nine rushing touchdowns last season -- fifth fewest in the NFL.
And Chandler Jones might be the league’s best edge rusher. He recorded 19 sacks in 2019, 13 sacks and 2018 and 17 sacks in 2017. Practically no one can block him. But the past few seasons, the rest of the Cardinals defensive line generally produced no pressure on the quarterback. Jones was on his own.
Now the Cardinals have Jordan Phillips -- they signed him away from the Bills this offseason. Gave him a three-year, $30 million contract. Phillips recorded 9.5 sacks in 2019. And now the Cardinals have an elite pass-rushing duo to go along with their stout run defense.
The Cardinals improved as much as any team this offseason. They’re still the third-best team in the division behind the 49ers and Seahawks, but a darn-good third-best team that might make the playoffs.
2. The Rams
DE: Leonard Floyd
DT: Aaron Donald
DT: A’Shawn Robinson
DE: Michael Brockers
The Rams have dismantled most of their Super Bowl roster, but they still have Aaron Donald, who still is the best player in the NFL.
To fully appreciate Donald, you have to watch him in slow motion, because even in slow motion he moves fast. He looks like Neo in The Matrix dodging bullets. He can’t be a regular human being.
The rest of the Rams D-line is solid. Michael Brockers and A’Shawn Robinson are terrific run defenders. And Leonard Floyd is a former first-round pick who played the first-four years of his career on the Bears and never recorded more than seven sacks in a season. In 2019, he recorded just three sacks. But now he gets to play next to Donald, meaning Floyd’s sack totals should skyrocket. I wouldn’t be surprised if he records 10 sacks next season.
Call it the Aaron-Donald Effect. Any defensive line with him is elite.
Buckner has a similar effect.
1. The 49ers
DE: Nick Bosa
DT: Javon Kinlaw
DT: Arik Armstead
DE: Dee Ford
SUB: D.J. Jones
SUB: Ronald Blair
The 49ers don’t have any defensive linemen as good as Donald, although Buckner was close. But the 49ers have something the rest of the NFC West teams don’t have on their D-lines -- depth.
Ronald Blair could start right now for the Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams. But he’ll probably play no more than 25 percent of the 49ers’ defensive snaps next season, because he backs up Nick Bosa, a stud. But Blair is good, too. He’s the best run defender of the 49ers’ defensive ends.
The 49ers also have D.J. Jones, who might be the best nose tackle in the division, Arik Armstead, who recorded 10 sacks last season, Javon Kinlaw, a first-round pick this year, and Dee Ford, who made the 49ers defense historically good when he was healthy and on the field.
Even without Buckner, the 49ers have the deepest, most talented defensive line in the NFC West.
What a luxury.
