The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2023 season, pivoting from building their defensive line around generating edge pressure to focusing on interior line play. Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave were among the most productive defensive tackles in the NFL.
The problem was Armstead missed much of the second half of the season due to an injury and ended up playing through the playoffs with a torn meniscus. Hargrave didn’t have the anchor to play alongside him and take pressure off him against the run, and the results weren’t too kind.
Armstead was released because he refused to take a pay cut.