The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2023 NFL offseason with a sour taste in their mouth. After finishing the regular season with 10 straight wins and picking up two more in the playoffs, their streak came to a screeching halt in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
With starting quarterback Brock Purdy getting injured and his backup, Josh Johnson, also going down, the team’s chances of winning went to zero. Quarterback health is their biggest concern, but there were also a few holes on the roster to fill in.
Despite having an elite defense, that is where some of the issues persisted. Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa is a game wrecker off the edge, but the team could certainly use some help next to him. There wasn’t much help coming from the defensive tackle position, which the Eagles exploited over and over again.
Adding some depth there was certainly near the top of the team’s to-do list. So, it wasn’t surprising when the team addressed it. What was surprising was the fact that they went right to the top of the market.
The 49ers wasted little time making a splash, signing star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave away from Philadelphia. San Francisco agreed to a four-year, $84 million deal with Hargrave and has been named one of the big winners of free agency as a result.
Hargrave is exactly what the 49ers needed on the interior of their defensive line. He has a multi-faceted skill set as he can get the job done as a run stuffer or get after the quarterback as a pass rusher. In both areas he has found a ton of success, being used more as a nose tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in his career before having his role adjusted with the Eagles.
The quarterback concerns are real. Even with all of the weapons San Francisco has on that side of the ball, poor quarterback play could lead to everything unraveling. But, by adding Hargrave to the defensive line, the 49ers’ already elite defense should remain atop the league.
Even if the offense has an off day and can only muster 20 points, the defense is good enough for that to result in wins throughout the season. Whenever you add arguably the best player available in free agency, it is easy to consider that offseason a win.
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