During the month of August, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will be breaking down every position in the league by position. This article contains a position-by-position breakdown of the NFC West defenses. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each unit followed by “the rest” in descending order. NFC West Defense Breakdown
2021 NFC West Defense Breakdown by Position
Defensive Line
The Best: Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have Aaron Donald, and he is not only the best interior defender in the division, he might be the best ever at the position. Donald is also possibly the best player in the league right now and it is his presence that gives the Rams the nod over the 49ers and Cardinals. His 456 pressures over the past five seasons are 86 more than any other defender. That stat is even more mind-boggling when you take into account just how many double and triple teams Donald has seen. Los Angeles also still has Sebastian Joseph-Day and A’Shawn Robinson. They also added some pieces through this year’s draft, including Bobby Brown III.
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The Rest: San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks
Having Nick Bosa and Dee Ford back as edge rushers will help the 49ers defensive line. The entire line, including Javon Kinlaw, Maurice Hurst, Kevin Givens, Zach Kerr, Arden Key, and D.J. Jones, should all drastically benefit by having Bosa and Ford back on the field after they played in a combined three games last season.
This off-season the Cardinals added J.J. Watt who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Houston Texans. He has been selected to five Pro Bowls and been a First-Team All-Pro five times. Health has been an issue for Watt (and he has had to deal with a sore hamstring this off-season) but he did play in all 16 games in 2020. While he may no longer be elite, Watt can still be really productive.
Arizona also has Jordan Phillips (11 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles in 2020), Zach Allen (35 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, six quarterback hits, and three pass breakups last season), and Leki Fotu (11 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and three quarterback hits in 2020).
The Seahawks defensive line, particularly on the interior, isn’t the strongest part of their defense, especially with the departure of Jarran Reed. They do have Poona Ford, who has continued to increase his production after going undrafted in 2018. Last season Ford had 40 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits, all career highs. Along with Ford Seattle has Al Woods, who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID. But Woods could make an impact in 2021. The Seahawks also have Myles Adams, Jarrod Hewitt, and Bryan Mone.
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Edge Rushers
The Best: 49ers
The 49ers saw Nick Bosa and Dee Ford on the field for a combined 80 snaps last season, due to injuries. That resulted in the unit underperforming in 2020. In 2019, his rookie season, Bosa played in all 16 games (14 starts) and he had nine sacks, 25 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and an interception. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. With Bosa and Ford back, playing alongside the likes of Arik Armstead, San Francisco’s pass rush should be much improved in 2021.
The issue is depth. Jordan Willis will miss the 49ers first six games of the 2021 season due to being suspended for a violation of the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances. While he isn’t a starter, Willis will most likely be a valuable part of the 49ers edge rotation and it will make depth an issue during his suspension. But Bosa, Ford and Armstead are talented enough to make this group ranked first in the division. Health just needs to be on their side.
The Rest: Cardinals, Seahawks, and Rams
Chandler Jones, a really talented edge rusher, missed the majority of 2020 and he has reportedly requested a trade due to being unhappy with his current contract. But if Jones does suit up for the Cardinals for the entire 2021 season and gets back to his 2019 form when he had 19 sacks, that would be a huge boost. The Cardinals re-signed Markus Golden to a two-year, $9 million deal this off-season. In nine games with Arizona last season, Golden used his impressive combination of speed and power and had 41 total quarterback pressures. Last season Devon Kennard had just 19 tackles and three sacks, but the talent is there. The Cardinals are hoping his performance improves in 2021 so the three-year, $20 million contract they agreed to in March 2020 makes more sense.
Carlos Dunlap II is back with the Seahawks after being cut and then re-signed by Seattle this off-season. Dunlap was acquired via a midseason trade with the Cincinnati Bengals last year and in eight regular season games, he had five sacks. L.J. Collier was drafted by the Seahawks with the 29th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. But after suffering an ankle sprain earlier in his training camp, Collier never really got on track in his rookie year. And while his stats in 2020 were not eye-popping, Collier had a much better sophomore season and started all 16 games.
Robert Nkemdiche has missed the majority of the past two seasons (he didn’t play at all in 2020) and he seems to understand that this stint with Seattle may be his last chance to prove himself and live up to his draft position. He has the talent, but he hasn’t played at a high level consistently in the NFL. Kerry Hyder Jr. saw more playing time than expected with the 49ers last season due to the injuries to Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. He ended up playing 70 percent of San Francisco’s defensive snaps and recorded 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and 18 quarterback hits.
Leonard Floyd is a beast. Last season Floyd had 10.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, 19 quarterback hits, and 48 total pressures. This off-season the Rams signed him to a four-year contract worth $64 million. But after him, there are a lot of question marks. Aaron Donald can help hide some flaws because he is that good, but he plays on the interior. The Rams don’t really have much on the edge other than Floyd. After Floyd, the Rams have Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (2.5 sacks, 19 tackles, and seven quarterback hits in two seasons), Justin Hollins (4.0 career sacks, 49 tackles, and seven quarterback hits in two seasons), and Terrell Lewis (two sacks, five tackles, and four quarterback hits in one NFL season).
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Linebackers
The Best: 49ers
Fred Warner has played in and started all 16 games in each of his first three seasons. In 2020 he had 125 tackles, seven quarterback hits, one sack and two interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named a First-Team All-Pro. Dre Greenlaw had a really good rookie year with the 49ers when he recorded 92 tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack and an interception. In his sophomore season in 2020 Greenlaw put up very similar numbers to his rookie campaign. If he can start to show some growth and consistency, he could be really special.
The only question for the 49ers is after Warner and Greenlaw, who will step up? Will it be Azeez Al-Shaair, or Demetrius Flanning-Fowles or someone else? Al-Shaair, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 saw his role expand in 2020. Flanning-Fowles, who played safety in college, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and made the active roster in 2020.
The Rest: Seahawks, Cardinals, and Rams
K.J. Wright is currently a free agent, and the Seahawks would love to have him back, but they still have Bobby Wagner. Wagner is entering his 10th NFL season. In 2020 he had 138 tackles, three sacks, and 11 quarterback hits. In addition to putting up Hall of Fame-worthy statistics and productivity, Wagner has also been reliable. During his career, Wagner has missed only nine games thus far. That would be impressive at any position, but even more so given that Wagner plays the violent and unforgiving position of linebacker.
Cody Barton is trying to lock down a starting role. He logged more than 25 defensive snaps just once last season. That was in a Week 5 contest against the Minnesota Vikings when he recorded 14 tackles. Ben Burr-Kirven suffered a torn ACL in the Seahawks preseason game against the Denver Broncos, and he will miss the 2021 season. Jordyn Brooks had to battle through COVID restrictions (including no preseason games) and an ankle injury he suffered in his first start in his rookie season. But he still managed to play in 14 games and tally 53 tackles, including five or more in five of the final eight games. With Wright still unsigned, Brooks’ role should expand in 2021. Aaron Donkor entered the NFL through their International Player Pathway Program. The 26-year old rookie has only played and studied football for five years, but apparently, he has made a good impression.
There is a lot of potential in Arizona with second-year linebacker Isaiah Simmons and rookie Zaven Collins. It is possible this unit finishes the season as one of the better ones in the league, but Simmons and Collins have one year of NFL experience between the two of them. It is too early to jump them ahead of the 49ers and Seahawks. And with Collins named the starter instead of Jordan Hicks, Hicks has requested a trade. Hicks has played six NFL seasons and has been reliable and productive while with the Cardinals the past two seasons. If he is traded that would be a big loss to the Cardinals linebacking corps. However, there is a chance the Cardinals change their scheme to allow Simmons, Collins, and Hicks to be on the field at the same time. Reserve linebacker Tanner Vallejo should have a decent role after signing a two-year, $4.1 million deal this off-season.
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This off-season Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young, Travin Howard, and Ernest Jones will compete for the starting jobs. Rams head coach Sean McVay might be saying he is liking the way his inside linebackers are coming together, but it is a pretty underwhelming group. Not only are they all trying to compete for a starting role, they are also all fighting for a roster spot.
Cornerbacks
The Best: Rams
This wasn’t even close. Troy Hill might now be with the Cleveland Browns, but the Rams still have Jalen Ramsey, who is arguably the best corner in the NFL, and Darious Williams. Only 20 corners of the 100 to record at least 250 coverage snaps in 2020, allowed fewer than one yard per coverage snap. Two of the 20 were Ramsey (0.5) and Williams (0.9). If other players like Terrell Burgess and David Long Jr. can step up, the Rams could somehow be even better at the cornerback position. The cornerback rooms for the other three teams cannot compare with the Rams.
The Rest: Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals
The Seahawks cornerback situation is a bit dicey, especially when compared to the rest of their defense. But there is some talent there. D.J. Reed, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Tre Flowers have shown flashes of what they are capable of, but they need to perform consistently. Seattle added John Reid in a trade with the Texans this off-season and drafted Tre Brown in this year’s draft. The Seahawks have moved Demarious Randall from his usual position of safety to corner this off-season which provides an indication that the Seahawks are at least a little unsure of their cornerbacks room.
Last season 49ers corner Jason Verrett played a career-high 802 defensive snaps once he was forced into the starting lineup due to injuries to Richard Sherman. And Verrett played well once he was given the opportunity, especially since San Francisco needed a lockdown corner due to the 49ers pass rush faltering because of injuries to Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. Emmanuel Moseley signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and became one of the 49ers, top two cornerbacks, in 2020. But in the middle of the season, he got injured and played only 175 snaps the rest of the year. Moseley’s career-high for snaps played in a season is only 576. The 49ers have had some corners miss time (Moseley on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Tim Harris (groin), and Dontae Johnson (foot)). Verrett is a talented corner, but with Moseley’s health history and the 49ers depth at cornerback both being issues, there are some question marks.
Patrick Peterson left in free agency this off-season and the Cardinals never really replaced him. They have one-time Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler and while the 31-year-old corner might be able to drink for free in any bar in New England for the rest of his life, a team has a problem if Butler is currently one of their top cornerbacks. According to Pro Football Reference, he has allowed 15 touchdowns in the last three seasons. Byron Murphy Jr. and Marco Wilson are the other two corners that seem to be locks to make the roster.
Last season, Murphy played nickel but was usually on the bench in base defense because the Cardinals had Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick to play on the outside. He played well in the slot in 2020 but there is a chance Murphy plays more on the outside this season. The Cardinals drafted Wilson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and they hope he can transition to more man coverage and make an impact. He is versatile, but consistency and durability (he has had two torn ACLs) are both areas of concern. The Cardinals also hope that other players like Robert Alford and Darqueze Dennard can step up this season.
Safeties
The Best: Seahawks
While Jamal Adams can struggle in coverage at times, he has 16 sacks in his past 26 games. Adams has made three straight Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro in 2019. In just 12 games last season he had 9.5 sacks, an NFL single-season record for safeties. For reference, no other safety had more than 3.5 sacks. Quandre Diggs has eight interceptions in just 21 games with the Seahawks.
The Rest: 49ers, Cardinals, and Rams
Both Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt are versatile and can play man-to-man or zone. The biggest issue for both is availability. Ward has played only one full season (2015) and Tartt has never made it through a full season. However, if they can remain healthy this season there is a chance they could take over the top spot from the Seahawks. That is a huge if though.
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Budda Baker can do just about everything at a high level and he is one of the best safeties in the NFL. In his first four seasons in the NFL the talented safety has received three Pro Bowl selections and been a First-Team All-Pro twice. In his first four NFL seasons, Baker has 441 total tackles, and last season he had 118 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. But as good as Baker is, the Cardinals cornerbacks group could not be ranked higher than third because Arizona doesn’t have another established starter to play with Baker. Neither Deionte Thompson nor Charles Washington exactly instill fear in opposing offenses.
Both Taylor Rapp and Jordan Fuller are solid. Rapp had one interception in five starts last season and Fuller had three interceptions in 12 games. But neither rise to the level of Jamal Adams, Jimmie Ward, or Budda Baker, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey doesn’t usually need help, so the Rams safeties have to be ranked fourth.
Check out the 2021 AFC East Breakdown by Position: Offense
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