The retirement of defensive end Justin Smith does hurt the San Francisco 49ers defense in 2015.
The only question is how much.
The “Cowboy,” as he came to be known, was a linchpin of the 49ers’ defensive front over the past seven years. He was nominated to the Pro Bowl during five of those campaigns and was named an All-Pro in 2011.
During his 49ers tenure, Smith piled up 299 tackles and 43.5 sacks.
But what made him even more special was his ability to lock up multiple blockers which, in turn, freed up San Francisco’s crop of pass-rushers to pressure opposing quarterbacks.