The San Francisco 49ers welcomed Quinton Dial back to the defensive line on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, but it did not alter the starting lineup. Chris Jones, acquired off waivers from the Miami Dolphins, remained in the starting lineup as a defensive end. This marked his second straight week starting. Once again, DeForest Buckner and Glenn Dorsey had the two highest DL snap totals, but this week, Jones was third, swapping places with Ronald Blair. Quinton Dial finished with fewer snaps than them, but also dealt with an injury late in the game that cost him some work.
Nick Bellore remains the team’s busiest inside linebacker. He missed a snap due to injury, but quickly returned and played the remaining snaps. Bellore had seven stops on the day, and currently ranks 12th among inside linebackers in total stops, with 39. That is impressive considering he did not move into a prominent role until NaVorro Bowman got hurt in Week 4. And stops are significantly more valuable than just tackles.
Rashard Robinson remained the first cornerback off the bench, with Dontae Johnson and Keith Reaser each getting two defensive snaps. Reaser played in place of Robinson during the latter’s MCL sprain. Reaser has looked good for stretches, but also had his share of struggles. This coming offseason will be interesting primarily for the future of Tramaine Brock. He is signed to a relatively inexpensive deal. The team’s secondary has its bad moments, but compared to much of the team, it is a slightly more cohesive unit. Expectations are low, so that should be taken with a grain of salt. But, maybe the 49ers don’t mix anything up so they can address other positions more directly.
Here’s the full defensive snap count for Week 13 (gamebook PDF).