Will the 49ers Defensive Line in 2023 be the Strongest in Recent Memory?

Building a strong defensive line is always a top priority for the San Francisco 49ers.

It is an aspect of a team that Kyle Shanahan holds near and dear to his values for an elite football team. You don't really get that from a head coach that is offensive oriented, yet Shanahan acknowledges it is needed to be an upper echelon team. Sure enough, it has been the anchor for the 49ers' success on all of their playoff runs.

Last year the defensive line was lacking at times. It was either Nick Bosa or bust for them in rushing the passer. Defending against the run was adequate, but rushing the passer was inconsistent outside of Bosa. Injuries plagued the defensive line like with Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, which was a large part of why the interior seemed stale. That is why the 49ers went out in free agency to sign Javon Hargrave.

Now the 49ers have a stacked starting defensive line with Bosa coming off the best season of his career, a healthy Armstead, and one of the best defensive tackles in the league in Hargrave. Throw in the potential of Drake Jackson taking the next step and you get arguably one of the strongest 49ers defensive lines that can be remembered. So, will the 49ers defensive line in 2023 be the strongest in recent memory?

That is actually something that was asked of Armstead when he appeared on the Up and Adams show with Kay Adams if this year's group is the best in the past decade.

Is @arikarmstead being too humble?

Or is this the best D-line the Niners have had in the past decade? 🤔

📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/fDWHoK27PD
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 14, 2023

"We've had some pretty good ones throughout the years," said Armstead. "We're just getting started on our journey. Guys are just getting here, and so, we're going to have to go out there and put the work in. Like I said, I believe in everyone we have in the room. We have starters on the whole defensive line, so we're going to be rotating in and sending in guys at a high clip. Our expectations for ourselves are to be the best, the organization has obviously invested upfront and have been doing that for years. We always put it on ourselves, we know we're going to have to play at a high level to get to the place we wanna get, which is winning a super bowl, so we're excited for the challenge and I definitely think we have the guys to go out there and get it done."

A humble response from Armstead and fairly neutral, but I interpret his response as him not wanting to go there yet. I mean, he played on the 2019 defense that was probably the best in the past decade for the 49ers. It had elite level starters all over with Bosa, Armstead's breakout year, Dee Ford, and DeForest Buckner. They were unstoppable. This year's defensive line could very well end up being one of, if not the strongest the 49ers have seen. But they still have to put it all together.

Really, the only guarantees the 49ers have out of their defensive line is Bosa and Hargrave. Outside of them, who knows? Everyone is practically a variable at the position. For starters, Armstead could be trending toward if his body is breaking down after he sustained plantar fasciitis in one foot and a broken bone in another. A bit of a concern there. Jackson has to take a massive leap in order to get close to being on 2019 Ford's level and I don't think that will happen. A leap yes, but not such a massive impactful one.

Then there is the depth that is questionable. Kinlaw is more likely than not just a guy who is there for run defense solely because he's a big body. He can't be trusted outside of that because he can't stay healthy for the majority of a season. Clelin Ferrell is a hopeful reclamation project, but how much better can a guy who struggles as a pass rusher due to physical limitations get? I'm not really sure where the 49ers are going to get those two-to-three adequate rotational contributors that they have been accustomed to the last several years.

The potential is there for this defensive line as a STARTING unit to be one of the best, but as a whole position group, it's bleak.