SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Attempting to project how the San Francisco 49ers' defense will line up in the season opener Sept. 12 against the Los Angeles Rams right now is something of a fool's errand.
While the Niners figure to have competition at multiple spots on the depth chart, much of what happens with the defense will be determined after coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil sort through the variety of options they have for their defensive front. It's why O'Neil says the defensive depth chart is "written in sand."
"We’re going to play the best 11," O'Neil said. "So, if it’s two outside backers and three D-Linemen, if it’s four D-Linemen, one outside backer, if it’s three D-Linemen, an outside backer and an inside backer, we’re going to get the best 11 out there.
"We’ll be very different defensively this year than what I was last year just because we have different players. I think the thing that has been great about this scheme that we’ll employ is it’s built every year around our players. We don’t force our players into the scheme. We try to build it around what we do best to complement them.”
As it stands, the only thing we know for sure is that the 49ers won't have the services of nose tackle Ian Williams this season. Williams was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list Saturday, effectively ending his season before it ever started. It was a big blow for a defense that got plenty of production from Williams and would've benefited from the stability he could provide in the middle of the line.
But with Williams no longer an option, the Niners must now sort through their other options, choices that include the likes of Mike Purcell, Quinton Dial, Glenn Dorsey (when he returns from injury), Garrison Smith and Darren Lake. Through the first three practices, the Niners have used Purcell with the first team twice and Dial the other.
Dorsey, who is working his way back from a knee injury, has looked powerful in individual drills and should get a chance to fit in somewhere along the line when he gets back to team work.
"I liked watching him on the sled yesterday," O'Neil said. "I thought he was going to break it. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s a guy that we’re excited to get back. He’s able to go through individual right now, but we’ll gradually get him involved in some of the team stuff as camp goes on, but he’s a guy we’re excited about, especially on early downs.”
Dial's versatility would seem to position him well to hold down one of the spots, but it's hard to know which one it will be at this point. When Dial didn't work in the middle, he'd go to the end with Arik Armstead opposite him. First-round pick DeForest Buckner has also worked with the first-team defensive line.
Armstead has earned positive reviews for his early work in camp, particularly against the run, and looks poised to improve on the 355 snaps he played last season.
"I think we can be very good," Armstead said. "We have got a lot of guys on the D-line I know can play in the NFL and play good. I’m sure they’re going to keep mixing it up and seeing what best group fits together and it will be a long process figuring that out but it will be fun playing with a bunch of different people. We’re all real close and have good chemistry, so they can mix up the line with us. It feels good playing with that lineup, but I’m sure they’ll mix it up some more."
Indeed they will but it's a safe bet that the players who prove the most capable of playing all over the line will be the ones that end up active on gamedays.
“The way we teach our three guys inside is they learn all three positions," O'Neil said. "So, when we ramp up and we’re ready for the season that will give us the ability to play with our best three. We don’t have to say, ‘This guy is our best nose.’ No, if we have three really good ends, we’re going to play with those three ends. So, we train them all to learn all three.”
