The San Francisco 49ers need to bump safety Eric Reid down inside the front-seven box to help fill the void left by All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman.
KNBR 680’s Kevin Jones made this argument recently, and his rationale here is without question.
Jones wrote:
Last week against the Cowboys, Reid lined up as both an outside linebacker and the nickel back. O’Neil understands he has the luxury of safety depth (Antoine Bethea and Jaquiski Tartt) and can get away with using Reid as an interchangeable chess piece on defense.
In an effort to tap into Reid’s skill set and toughen up the 32nd ranked run defense, O’Neil should occasionally play the safety at linebacker Thursday against the Cardinals.