The San Francisco 49ers caused a little bit of a worry when they extended Quinton Dial before the start of NFL free agency while Ian Williams, clearly the standout player on the defensive line, remained unsigned. Dial himself was a strong performer last season, but Williams was the only player who played at a high enough level to be considered a must-sign.
Fortunately, the relatively passive 49ers were able to get a deal done on Williams as well, securing two starters for their defensive line heading into next season.
Dial was signed to a three-year extension with new money just over $12 million with a chance for incentives to push it up to $16 million. Williams signed a five-year deal worth between $5 million and $6 million per season, which just reinforces what I said about about Williams being more important.
Over the past several years, the 49ers have drafted, developed and found valuable free agents on the defensive side of the ball, to the point where said defense has typically been a strength. Sometimes the linebackers dominate the play, sometimes the 49ers get great play out of their safeties and other times, the pass rush and run stuffing is actually working well.
Going forward, it's looking like something of a combination of all of those things. Rather than have the best linebackers in the NFL, a top tier defensive end along a top tier outside linebacker or arguably one of the top starting safety rotations in the league the 49ers are ... somewhere in between.
But one thing for certain is that the defensive line will be a strength next season, regardless who is on said line alongside Dial and Williams. The two have a good chemistry and work well together, and the 49ers will certainly be working more to stop the run than they will be rushing the passer.
Obviously, it would be great if Arik Armstead pans out and can be a starter on the line. I'm not sure if Tank Carradine has a future with the 49ers, unless the new defensive staff likes him. There's also Glenn Dorsey and Mike Purcell, though I'm unsure where either stands at this point.
Who do you hope works out for the 49ers? Who do you think will start at the other spot, or will there be a significant rotation? Will the defensive line be a strength? Will Dial even be a starter? I suppose it's possible that he won't be, what do you guys think?