The San Francisco 49ers had a glaring problem on defense. That problem was exacerbated Sunday when star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps that will require season-ending surgery.
Rushing the passer is something the 49ers have established as a foundation of their defensive success. It’s why they spent the No. 2 overall pick on defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019, and it’s why they’ve utilized a bevy of resources along the defensive line throughout the tenures of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
That part of their defense is off to a slow start in 2024, and now improvement is a steep uphill climb without Hargrave.
One way they can improve is by simply getting more out of defensive end Leonard Floyd who signed a two-year, $20 million contract with $12 million guaranteed this offseason.
Floyd had a sack and four pressures in Week 1 according to Pro Football Focus. He’s been silent since then. PFF has him down for just one pressure, no sacks and no quarterback hits over the last two games.
That’s not going to cut it for a player some deemed as the best edge rusher the 49ers have had opposite Bosa.
While Floyd has gotten off to a slow start, there’s reason for optimism that he’ll bounce back. Throughout his career there are a slew of two and three game stretches where he’ll be ostensibly absent from the pass rush before breaking out with big numbers.
The problem for the 49ers is they can’t afford for Floyd to go missing. They’re relying heavily on him to provide pressure off the edge across from Bosa. That reliance only increases with Hargrave’s injury.
A consistently good Floyd who is racking up 9.5 or 10.0 sacks would be a tremendous boost for the 49ers’ struggling defense. The sooner he breaks out of his slump and turns into that player, the better.
