The San Francisco 49ers have arguably the best roster in the NFL heading into the 2023 offseason. They have stars on both sides of the ball and don’t have too many holes that need to be filled.
Their biggest need coming into the offseason was upgrading the interior of their defensive line. If the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles proved anything it was that they needed a game-changer at defensive tackle. They wasted no time addressing that need in free agency, making a huge splash at the onset.
The 49ers agreed to a massive four-year, $84 million deal with Javon Hargrave. Hargrave played opposite San Francisco in the NFCCG for Philadelphia, but will now be helping the 49ers in their quest for a Super Bowl.
That was a great start to free agency for the franchise as Hargrave is a game-changer at defensive tackle. Next on their to-do list could be adding a pass rusher on the edge. San Francisco had key rotational pieces in Samson Ebukam, Kerry Hyder, Jordan Willis and Charles Omenihu hitting free agency.
Ebukam and Omenihu have already departed, agreeing to deals with the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. They combined for 9.5 sacks last season, which leaves the team needing to find some help for Nick Bosa.
Drake Jackson will undoubtedly have a larger role in Year 2, but it wouldn’t hurt to add another veteran to the mix. That is what makes Yannick Ngakoue the best fit in free agency for the 49ers this year.
Ngakoue has been on the move a lot in recent seasons. After playing the first four seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. He spent six games there before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
Ngakoue signed as a free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 but lasted only one season before they traded him to the Indianapolis Colts. Alas, no matter where he has played, Ngakoue has produced as he has at least 8.0 sacks in each season of his career.
While his advanced stats aren’t in the elite range, as he had a pass rush win rate of 14.1 percent, that number is still above average. Adding him to the mix opposite of Bosa would give the 49ers someone more than capable of winning single-team matchups consistently when teams divert extra attention to Bosa.
