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San Francisco 49ers: 5 offseason needs in 2019

By Russell S. Baxter

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan talks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on February 27, 2019 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan talks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on February 27, 2019 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 23: San Francisco 49ers’ DeForest Buckner (99) sacks Chicago Bears starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) in the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (Photo by Nhat V. Meyer/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 23: San Francisco 49ers’ DeForest Buckner (99) sacks Chicago Bears starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) in the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (Photo by Nhat V. Meyer/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images) /

2. Improve the pass rush

Only seven teams in the league this past season had fewer sacks than coordinator Robert Saleh’s unit. The 49ers finished 2018 with somewhat-respectable 37 quarterback traps. But eight of those came in a Thursday night rout of the Oakland Raiders. In the team’s other 15 games, San Francisco managed no more than three sacks in any of those contests.

The team leader was third-year defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. He accounted for basically one-third (12.5) of the club’s total. That was followed by reserve defensive ends Ronald Blair and Cassius Marsh, who tied for second on the squad with 5.5 sacks apiece. Arik Armstead added three more sacks. And when you are not getting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, it stands to reason why this club wound up surrendering a whopping 35 touchdowns passes in 16 contests. Granted, the team’s sack total was seven better than the previous season’s (30). But this is an area that the club must address, especially when it comes to pressure from the outside.

Both the prospective free-agent class (Demarcus Lawrence, Ziggy Anzah, Preston Smith, etc.) as well as the 2019 NFL Draft could provide plenty of help when it comes to this area. It would not be a surprise to see general manager John Lynch take aim at pass rushers both via the open market as well as in the first round on April 25.

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