The San Francisco 49ers added lots of heft to their defensive line in this year’s NFL draft.
After losing starters Maliek Collins, Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd this offseason, they added defensive linemen Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West with three of their first five picks. While their run defense should be substantially better in 2025, that group may not contribute a ton to the pass rush right away.
Adding a veteran defensive end to rotate in on passing downs may help a pass rush unit for San Francisco that finished 24th in pressure rate and 27th in total pressures last season according to Pro Football Reference.
The top free agent pass rushers were all off the board a long time ago, but there are still a handful of names the 49ers could bring in to assist a group that might struggle getting to the quarterback in 2025:
Von Miller
Miller’s destination will be interesting to watch. At age 36 he’s likely only looking to play for a contender, and there are question marks around the 49ers in that regard. However, they offer him an opportunity to play a limited number of snaps that could maximize his production. The bonus of bringing in Miller, who posted 32 pressures on only 209 pass rush snaps last year, is the mentorship he could provide the 49ers’ young defensive front. The 49ers have enough cap space that they could overpay a bit to bring in the future Hall of Famer.
Matthew Judon
It looked like Judon might be taking over the league in 2021 and 2022 when he posted 132 pressures and 31 sacks across those two seasons per Pro Football Focus. Production has been a struggle for Judon since then, including a full season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 where he put up 25 pressures and six sacks. Adding Judon as a rotational rusher across from Nick Bosa may help recapture some of the dominance he found through the early part of his career.
Za’Darius Smith
It’s a small surprise Smith is still available this late into the offseason. He was traded midseason from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions last year, but still totaled 10 sacks and 63 pressures for the season. The 49ers would love to have that kind of production in their inexperienced defensive line room. Smith’s days a dominant every-down player may be behind him, but there’s plenty left in the tank as a pass rusher to help a team like San Francisco.
Jihad Ward
It wouldn’t be a super inspiring signing, but the pickings are slim and the 49ers’ bar isn’t super high for rotational edge defenders. He did put up a career-high 31 pressures for the Minnesota Vikings a season ago, and he has the size to kick inside or rush off the edge. Bringing in a versatile player coming off the most productive season of his nine-year career wouldn’t be a bad move for a retooled defensive line.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agents: Von Miller tops list of pass rushers 49ers can add
The San Francisco 49ers added lots of heft to their defensive line in this year’s NFL draft.
After losing starters Maliek Collins, Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd this offseason, they added defensive linemen Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West with three of their first five picks. While their run defense should be substantially better in 2025, that group may not contribute a ton to the pass rush right away.
Adding a veteran defensive end to rotate in on passing downs may help a pass rush unit for San Francisco that finished 24th in pressure rate and 27th in total pressures last season according to Pro Football Reference.
The top free agent pass rushers were all off the board a long time ago, but there are still a handful of names the 49ers could bring in to assist a group that might struggle getting to the quarterback in 2025:
Von Miller
Miller’s destination will be interesting to watch. At age 36 he’s likely only looking to play for a contender, and there are question marks around the 49ers in that regard. However, they offer him an opportunity to play a limited number of snaps that could maximize his production. The bonus of bringing in Miller, who posted 32 pressures on only 209 pass rush snaps last year, is the mentorship he could provide the 49ers’ young defensive front. The 49ers have enough cap space that they could overpay a bit to bring in the future Hall of Famer.
Matthew Judon
It looked like Judon might be taking over the league in 2021 and 2022 when he posted 132 pressures and 31 sacks across those two seasons per Pro Football Focus. Production has been a struggle for Judon since then, including a full season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 where he put up 25 pressures and six sacks. Adding Judon as a rotational rusher across from Nick Bosa may help recapture some of the dominance he found through the early part of his career.
Za’Darius Smith
It’s a small surprise Smith is still available this late into the offseason. He was traded midseason from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions last year, but still totaled 10 sacks and 63 pressures for the season. The 49ers would love to have that kind of production in their inexperienced defensive line room. Smith’s days a dominant every-down player may be behind him, but there’s plenty left in the tank as a pass rusher to help a team like San Francisco.
Jihad Ward
It wouldn’t be a super inspiring signing, but the pickings are slim and the 49ers’ bar isn’t super high for rotational edge defenders. He did put up a career-high 31 pressures for the Minnesota Vikings a season ago, and he has the size to kick inside or rush off the edge. Bringing in a versatile player coming off the most productive season of his nine-year career wouldn’t be a bad move for a retooled defensive line.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agents: Von Miller tops list of pass rushers 49ers can add
