What the 49ers Need to Add to Their Defense This Offseason

For the 49ers' defense to become dominant once more, they will need to adopt the mantra that good is the enemy of great. Starters who aren’t great need to go; the standard needs to elevate.

Edge

Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) on the field during warm ups pri — Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

With Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, the key is to return to what they were prior to injury, which could take much longer than just getting back on the field.

Bosa and Williams went down, and the pass rush disappeared. The new standard needs to be a pass rush that produces without Bosa. The preference is free agency; the Niners need a proven veteran talent, but the Yorks' willingness to spend is the ceiling.

Prediction: Sign one of Jaelen Phillips, Boye Mafe, or Odafe Oweh in free agency, or an older vet for less with Khalil Mack or Jadeveon Clowney. Expensive but necessary. The draft has 15 of the top 100 players at edge. I believe the Niners will select one by the comp picks, but they can’t afford to count on one.

Defensive Tackle

They drafted well with Alfred Collins and C.J. West, so the need is for one more impact tackle to form a rotation. However, picking that DT high or signing an expensive free agent would be overloading and poor team building given the volume of team needs.

Prediction: They add a quality backup, probably in free agency to balance out the two rookies.

Linebacker

This is a structural issue. The Wide 9 is specifically designed for the linebackers to be playmakers. The Niners have one in future Hall of Famer Fred Warner; the defense needs two. Robert Saleh was “adamant” on keeping Dre Greenlaw, and he was proven right.

When SI’s Grant Cohn talked with former Raiders Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh recently, they touched on 49er needs in the draft. Walsh said linebacker should be the top priority. I agree with him. The entire defensive concept breaks down without two high impact LBs.

Prediction: I would pick Georgia LB C. J. Allen in the first; love him. I also like Anthony Hill Jr. of Texas. However, I’d be surprised if the Niners go that route in the draft or with a big swing in free agency.

If linebacker is addressed with a later pick or a more affordable free agent, the important aspect is to acquire the missing skill set, pass coverage skills. That can be had relatively cheap in free agency with Quincy Williams, who Saleh coached with the Jets, one of the best coverage LBs in the league.

The Niners need to realize what Saleh did. Dee Winters is not the answer; he’s a backup. Nick Martin was a ball of clay pick; he won’t be ready until 2027 at the earliest. The Niners need to add a new starting linebacker, and a quality rotational LB that can cover tight ends.

Safety

This position was neglected. The Niners didn’t have two quality safeties entering the year and did nothing in free agency or trade. So predictably, safety was an issue all season.

One of my concerns with Saleh is an overemphasis on run defense while underplaying pass defense. Which leads to starting Ji’Ayir Brown, ignoring the crater at safety to start the year, and watching safeties in blown coverage give up touchdowns. The concept of two hybrid safeties to help stop the run needs to go. The Niners desperately need speed, length, football IQ, and ball skills at free safety, a centerfielder.

In an ideal world, the 49ers need two new starters at safety. In my opinion, Malik Mustapha is overrated. In a realistic world, Mustapha is the strong safety, and they need a free safety; they felt the loss of Tayshaun Gipson. The Niners tied for 31st in interceptions this year with six, thanks to the Jets going pickless.

Some say just get the pass rush back and it’s fixed, safety is a low priority. Jaquiski Tartt says hello. The Niners were last in interceptions with a great pass rush, and first in picks the following year when they added ball skills to the secondary. That needs to happen again.

Prediction: I like A.J. Haulcy of LSU, ten career interceptions with 19 PBUs. Free agency I expect the Seahawks and Rams to keep Coby Bryant and Kam Curl, so turn to the draft.

Defensive Back

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Upton Stout (20) tackles Indianapolis Colts wide rec — Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Niners took an important step forward with Upton Stout locking down nickel long term. But the rest of the secondary is suspect. Part of Deommodore Lenoir’s value is his inside-outside ability; with Stout, that’s gone. I would consider trading Lenoir, but don’t see that happening.

The rest of the DB room needs an upgrade. Renardo Green lacks consistency; he should replace Darrell Luter Jr. as the primary backup. The Niners need a new DB1 or at minimum a DB2.

Prediction: For years, the Niners have been rumored to be searching for a DB1 in the draft. It’s time. I think a lockdown corner will be one of the options with the first pick, depending on who falls to them. The top three DBs are expected to go in the top 20.

The best corner at the pick may be Brandon Cisse of South Carolina, an excellent cover man, but he lacks ball skills. Keith Abney II of Arizona State has five picks and 21 passes defended in the last two years; he’s a mid-2nd pick.

Free agency has several capable DBs. I love Jaylen Watson of the Chefs, but he’ll be popular and expensive. Regardless of who, the need is clear - a new starting outside corner to replace Green.

Big Picture

The Niners must fortify the spine of the defense, strength up the middle through all three levels. The last draft was DT; now, they need to address LB and S. Once the spine is in place, they can stop the bleeding.

That competes, though, with the competitive need against the division. They need a secondary that can limit Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. Until they have that, it will be tough to defeat the Seahawks and Rams. Presumably, Arizona will also improve with a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback to bring Marvin Harrison Jr. up to impact and continue to feed Trey McBride.

The difficulty for the Niner defense is that the offense needs a ton of help. Draft picks on the defensive side, while clearly needed, will probably be limited.

The Bigger Picture

2026 is a down draft year. Lower impact and depth than in years past. Some of the Faithful are calling for John Lynch to be replaced at GM. He has a year remaining on his deal, I expect him to stay. However, I think he should be replaced a year from now.

The Niners' biggest weakness organizationally is a lack of talent evaluation and team building at GM. Lynch is strong at fostering collaboration, but where is the 49er executive with an eye for talent? That is where this team is losing, particularly over the last four seasons in the early rounds.

The 2027 draft is projected to be generational. The best in over a decade, absolutely loaded. Jed York needs to have the self-awareness to know where the organization must upgrade. They need a talent evaluation wizard to lead the 2027 draft. The exec with the rep for talent eval, someone I’ve advocated for years, is Ray Agnew, the Assistant GM in Detroit.

Beyond wide receiver, offensive line, linebacker, corner, safety, what the 49ers need most is a proven talent evaluator at GM. They have a year to get it done.