When taking a look at the San Francisco 49ers’ roster, it is hard to pinpoint any real flaws. Their roster is littered with All-Pros on both sides of the ball with some of the best players in the league at their respective positions. But, if there was one thing their loss in the NFC Championship Game brought to light, it was the need for some more help on the interior of their defense.
San Francisco owned the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL last season, but the Philadelphia Eagles found a weakness to exploit. They attacked them right up the middle throughout the contest, which the 49ers had no answer for.
Doing what they can to ensure a repeat performance doesn’t occur, the 49ers made a big splash in free agency. They signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, formerly of the Eagles, to a four-year, $81 million contract.
It was a signing that had players on the 49ers’ roster very excited. Fellow defensive tackle Arik Armstead believes the team will go as far as the defensive line takes it and adding Hargrave will elevate things to another level.
Defensive end and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Bosa, also believes Hargrave is going to help put the 49ers over the top. Bosa believes that his newest teammate is one of the most underrated players in the NFL.
“People don’t really know how good he is overall,” Bosa said, via Jason Mastrodonato of the San Jose Mercury News. “He’s not talked about — he might be, I don’t know — but I feel he isn’t quite talked about in the Aaron Donald, top echelon, Chris Jones. But I feel he played like that last year and throughout his career. So having him and Arik inside should be pretty fun.” (H/T ProFootballTalk)
Hargrave has showcased some impressive versatility in his career. At the start with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was used more as a run stuffer on the interior. With the Eagles, he got to showcase more of his pass-rushing skill set.
Now on the 49ers, he will likely be asked to do a little bit of both. His presence as a pass rusher should help make things easier for Bosa rushing the passer off the edge. But, most importantly, Hargrave won’t get displaced in the run game as easily as Javon Kinlaw was last season during the playoffs.
