The San Francisco 49ers will be leaning on the depth of their defensive line room as the team looks to fill the void left by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who suffered a season-ending triceps injury against the Los Angeles Rams. The ninth-year pro was starting alongside Maliek Collins on the interior of the 49ers defensive line in this first stretch of games and was on track for another productive season in 2024.
Last year, Hargrave recorded 7.0 sacks, 44 tackles (eight for loss), 14 quarterback hits and two passes defended. Through these first three games, he posted seven tackles (one for loss), 1.0 sack and a quarterback hit.
San Francisco's pass rush typically relies on a front four, but with Hargrave out of the lineup, there are a number of ways head coach Kyle Shanahan believes his defensive line can continue to get after opposing quarterbacks.
"You've got to have plans for that, and we do when Javon is here. You would love to always get there with front four. That's the goal," Shanahan said. "Getting there with four and having seven guys in coverage makes it a lot harder for the offense, but if you can't do that, you've got to mix it up. We mixed it up throughout the year.
"I thought our D-Line last week affected the quarterback (Rams Matthew Stafford) the most that they had in their three games. I thought that they had one of their better games, but it's a huge loss, losing Javon. Guys are going to have to step it up, and when you don't have the rush, then you've got to turn to other things schematically."
Given that the 49ers invested in the revamp of their defensive line in free agency, the team has the depth they need to weather the storm of Hargrave's injury. Players that will likely see more reps in Hargrave's absence include Jordan Elliott, a free agent addition from the Cleveland Browns, Yetur Gross-Matos, a free agent addition from the Carolina Panthers, Kevin Givens, a player who has been with the 49ers since 2019 and T.Y. McGill, a reliable practice squad player added in 2023. The 49ers also have the expected return of defensive lineman Kalia Davis to look forward to as he continues to rehab from a knee injury from earlier in the season.
"(Elliott) fits the scheme really well," Bosa said when asked about early impressions of Elliott. "He played on Cleveland, the No. 1 defense the last year, so he got a good taste of what it's like to play in this type of scheme. He's comfortable, and he's massive, which is a little different for our interior guys. But, it's always good if you can be big and explosive like he is."
"It was great from the moment I met him (Elliott), and it's only grown stronger ever since," linebacker Fred Warner said when asked about Elliott. "Jordan has been amazing. Yetur as well, being able to play inside and outside. Kevin Givens has always been really solid for us in the middle. I'm really excited about them getting their opportunity."
