For years, the San Francisco 49ers have prided themselves on bolstering their defensive line, which was the case once again this offseason when the team signed star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal.
The 49ers have built inside-to-outside defensively, which has allowed them to maintain a high pressure and sack rate during their successful years, as they ranked second in the NFL with an 8.97 percent sack rate in 2019 and third with an 8.09 percent sack rate in 2021.
However, that number dropped down to 6.91 percent last season, ranking in the middle of the pack, as the defensive line wasn’t as dominant with a number of rotational pieces consistently seeing action last year.