State of the Roster: Can 49ers defensive end depth step up?
With 49ers OTAs in full swing, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the team’s roster to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, potential dark horses to make the team and other nuggets about the players who will be competing for jobs on the 53-man roster.
It’s impossible to say whether the 49ers have enough in their defensive end room entering training camp. Their group of DEs all come with significant question marks as defensive line coach Kris Kocurek aims to work his magic again on underutilized pass rushers still trying to find their way in the NFL.
While San Francisco doesn’t have any sure things at DE behind Nick Bosa, there’s plenty of reason for optimism. Players like Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu, Kerry Hyder and Arden Key have all experienced breakout success while playing on the 49ers’ defensive line. There’s a chance the club sees similar results with this year’s DE group (non-Bosa division). That’s what they’re banking on, anyway.
There could be changes coming depending on how the team feels about its DEs once training camp starts, but lets look at what the 90-man roster looks like at that spot heading into camp:
Nick Bosa
The only question about the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is when he signs his contract that should make him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Bosa led the league in sacks last year and continues to be one of the top run defenders at his position. We’re pretty confident in writing that he’ll make the team.
Drake Jackson
It was a disappointing rookie campaign for Jackson, who was a healthy scratch in two of the final three regular season games, as well as all three playoff games. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks indicated Jackson added the necessary weight to keep his body in shape for the grind of a 17-game NFL season. Now the team is hoping their 2022 second-round pick can break out in his second year. Pro Football Focus had Jackson down for 16 pressures and 4.0 sacks last season. There were flashes of the athleticism that made him such a tantalizing prospect. Now he has to put it all together and show that he can be an every down player on the side opposite Bosa.
Clelin Ferrell
Ferrell is hoping to follow the Omenihu/Hyder/Key path to success in San Francisco. He was a profound disappointment for the Raiders after they made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Ferrell in four years and 58 games with the Raiders posted just 96 pressures and 13 sacks per PFF. He’s clearly a talented player though and Kocurek has had success finding roles for players like Ferrell where they can be effective. Chances are he’ll land in a rotational role where he can hone in on one or two things that allow him to thrive.
Austin Bryant
Bryant is a similar bucket to Ferrell as a player who has yet to carve out a significant NFL role. He was a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 2019 and wound up playing just 33 games across four years with Detroit. His 4.5 sacks all came in 2021, which was the only year he’s played double-digit games as a pro. Bryant produced when he got regular action, so there’s a real chance he finds his footing in a rotational role with the 49ers. Staying healthy is going to be the first major step.
Darryl Johnson
Johnson was a late offseason add for San Francisco. They signed him on June 6 at the start of minicamp. He has 2.0 sacks in a four-year career that includes two seasons with the Bills, one with the Panthers and one with the Seahawks. He played 31 games with Buffalo, but has only seen action in seven games over the last two years. His vast special teams experience (627 snaps in four years) will likely be his best chance claim to a roster spot.
Robert Beal Jr.
Beal was the second of two fifth-round choices by San Francisco in the 2023 draft. While his college production suffered due to the glut of talent ahead of him on Georgia’s depth chart, Beal brings the height, length and explosiveness the 49ers like in their defensive ends. It may take him awhile to develop and win his pass rush reps against NFL tackles, but San Francisco will likely bet on the upside and hope for some production this year.
Alex Barrett
If there was a year for all of Barrett’s work on the practice squad to pay off, it’s this one. He’s been with San Francisco since they added him to their practice squad late in the 2019 season. Since then he’s only seen action in seven games – all of which came in 2020. Barrett is a good athlete who knows Kocurek and the defense very well. That experience will be his biggest asset as he tries to make the 53-man roster for the first time.
Spencer Waege
Waege was one of the 49ers’ undrafted rookie signings this year. He posted 42 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks in 57 games with North Dakota State. His 17.5 TFLs and 9.0 sacks last year earned him First-Team All-American honors. Waege is listed at 6-5, 295 pounds, so he may wind up finding a role on the interior for the 49ers. He’s a practice squad candidate with a little upside as a versatile player who can play on the edge or inside as a pro.
State of the Roster
Here are the other positions covered so far in our State of the Roster series:
