It made sense that the 49ers would struggle in the first part of the season as players figured out the new offensive and defensive systems, and coaches determined where their players fit best.
The competition on the back half of schedule also decreased, making it presumably easier to throw a few games into the win column. However, now something might upend that strategy – injuries on the defensive line and the release of linebacker NaVorro Bowman.
The 49ers were without Arik Armstead, Tank Carradine, and Aaron Lynch Sunday against Dallas. Carradine (ankle) isn’t eligible to return until the Nov .5 Cardinals’ game, Lynch (calf) is week to week and Armstead (broken hand) could possibly return for the last two games of the season.
Upshot – the strength of the 49ers’ team was their front seven and now that’s been decimated. Additionally, it could take a few games for rookie Reuben Foster to learn the NFL game and the 49ers’ defense as the team’s play caller.
It could also take some time for safety Eric Reid to learn his new role as the team’s dime linebacker, a position he’s never played before.
The greatest example of the erosion of depth came Sunday, when the 49ers started Leger Douzable as their starting defensive end. He’s been with eight teams in eight years and was signed by the 49ers this summer on Aug. 14, three weeks after the start of training camp. He was then cut two weeks later and recently re-signed.
The line also featured Xavier Cooper, a third-round pick of the Browns in 2015 who failed to stick with them. D.J. Jones, a sixth-round pick this year, also logged significant snaps in the Dallas loss.
The 49ers have gone from subbing in first-round draft like Solomon Thomas to playing journeyman linemen and late-round picks.
And they are still tinkering with their line-up by moving a player like Reid from safety to linebacker. All of this means the 49ers aren’t as talented and will need more time for players like Foster and Reid to learn new positions.
It means wins on the back half of their schedule are hardly assured and the 49ers could return to last year when they struggled mightily stopping the run, like they did against the Cowboys.
So 49ers fans might want to buckle in for another arduous and possibly another high pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.