The San Francisco 49ers have been rotating defensive players quite a bit this season, but one player who has seen his involvement decrease is Tank Carradine. The third year defensive tackle has been utilized primarily in sub-packages this season, but that appears to be declining. After playing 30 snaps in Week 7 (second highest total this season), he played nine in Week 8, and then zero in Week 9.
Jim Tomsula was asked on Monday about Tank's lack of playing time. He talked about wanting to get him onto the edge in some situations, but also moving him around the line a bit more. Tank's strength coming out of college was as an edge rusher, but the 49ers had him bulk up to move inside. I'm still not entirely sure what the plan was at that point, but something is obviously not working.
Tank is signed through the 2016 season. If he continues to struggle to get on the field this season, one has to wonder if the team makes a move in the offseason. They would not be able to get much in the way of trade compensation, but at what point do they just cut bait?
Here's the Tank portion of Tomsula's transcript.
DT Tank Carradine didn't play. What does he have to do to get more playing time?
"Well, Tank has to keep working and keep going. With some of the pass rush stuff and things like that, that's where we're looking to get Tank more involved. So, we're in the process of, he's doing a good job of working hard at it and we're in the process. Tank can work some of that three stuff for us, he can work across the line. So, we are trying to build in that area right now. So, that wasn't a knock on Tank not playing last night. It's just kind of where we are coaching-wise now. You know, trying to switch gears a little bit with Tank and utilizing him to his strengths. So, and that's me."
Does he need kind of a greater sense of urgency to kind of grasp onto that stuff?
"No, he's got it. He's got it. Tank works hard. Tank does good in terms of his work ethic and how important it is to him. But, I want to utilize Tank in some different situations in football, in the game. Looking at where he's at and what he can do for us, so that's what I've been doing. I brought that up to the defense and that is an area that I got involved in, just in terms of Tank because I coached him. So, and excited about it."
....
Back to Tank, I know general manager Trent Baalke talked about the four technique in the spring when you guys took DL Arik Armstead and Tank was a 4-3 end at Florida State. Is that transition something that he's struggled with early in his career?
"Everybody has got to go through it. Tank's had a lot of things to overcome. There were a lot of things. Tank works really hard and Tank, I just, as I'm looking at it, stepping back and looking at it, I want to utilize Tank in some areas. Those edge three rushes and moving him around on that front and getting him rolling that way. He's got a really good skillset and just to maximize the skillset. And I think we can do that without interrupting everybody around him. So, anyway, that's just where that is."