The 49ers run defense wasn't good last season.
It gave up 4.1 yards per carry in the regular season, which ranked 14th out of 32 teams. And in the playoffs, the 49ers defense gave up a whopping 5.1 yards per carry and five touchdowns in three games. Which means the run defense was a major reason the 49ers lost the Super Bowl.
The 49ers clearly identified their run defense as an area that needed improvement, and so they've revamped much of their front seven this offseason. But has their run defense actually improved? Let's examine.
The first thing the 49ers did was release Arik Armstead, their best run defender on the defensive line. Releasing him made sense considering he's overpaid and misses lots of games, but when he's on the field, the 49ers run defense is excellent. Without him, it's terrible.
To replace Armstead, the 49ers traded a seventh-round pick for Maliek Collins, who's similar to Javon Hargrave in the sense that both are much better pass rushers than run stuffers.
Then the 49ers replaced Chase Young, a terrible run defender, with Leonard Floyd, a mediocre run defender, so that's a slight upgrade. The 49ers also signed defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and defensive end Yatur Gross-Matos, but they probably will be backups.
Finally, the 49ers replaced Dre Greenlaw, who could miss the season with a torn achilles, with De'Vondre Campbell, who was a liability the past two seasons for the Packers. Big downgrade.
At least on paper, it seems the 49ers run defense has taken a step back. They need to address it in the draft.
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