At the moment, it’s hard to square how the 49ers defensive line is as good as it was last season.
In addition to the already departed D.J. Jones, San Francisco lost another key member of their DL on Wednesday, quite literally. Arden Key has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a one-year deal, his new team announced on Wednesday.
Key, 25, is coming off the best season of his career, and was second on the 49ers with 6.5 sacks in 2021. Before last season, Key had just three sacks in 37 games.
Perhaps the 49ers thought that much of Key’s success as an interior pass rusher was due to their system, and the tutelage of top tier defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. To replace Key and Jones, the 49ers have acquired defensive linemen Hassan Ridgeway, Kerry Hyder and re-signed special teams hero Jordan Willis.
Key was originally a third-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, and was a two-time All-SEC lineman at LSU.