The San Francisco 49ers are officially in offseason mode after falling short of a Super Bowl run, while the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots punched their tickets to Levi’s Stadium for the NFL’s biggest stage. For the Niners, it’s time to regroup, reassess, and reload.
All things considered, 2025 was a strong campaign for San Francisco. Despite being ravaged by injuries once again-a frustratingly familiar theme-they still managed to rack up 13 wins.
That’s no small feat. Kyle Shanahan deserves serious credit here.
In what might be his most impressive coaching performance to date, he pulled the best out of a roster that leaned heavily on youth, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
This past season marked a clear philosophical shift for the 49ers. After years of fielding one of the league’s oldest rosters, they trimmed veteran contracts and went young.
That approach forced a number of rookies into early action, and while there were growing pains, the payoff is starting to show. Several young players flashed real potential-especially in the trenches.
Now, with a better sense of what they’ve got in-house, the front office turns its attention to free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. And if there’s one area that continues to stand out as a need-especially after watching how the playoff teams are built-it’s defensive tackle.
Yes, the 49ers already invested at the position last year, drafting Alfred Collins in the second round and C.J. West in the fourth.
Collins had a slow start to his rookie offseason, but once the pads came on, he found his rhythm and became a steady presence in the rotation. He showed steady improvement throughout the year and looks like a player who’ll be in the mix again in 2026.
West had a bit more of a rollercoaster year, battling through injuries, but when he was on the field, he showed real promise-particularly against the run. Like Collins, he figures to be a key rotational piece moving forward.
But here’s the thing: solid rotation guys are great. What San Francisco needs now is a true difference-maker on the interior. And those don’t grow on trees.
Look at the two teams headed to the Super Bowl. Seattle’s defensive front has been a force, anchored by Byron Murphy, their first-round pick last year.
His rookie season in 2024 didn’t light up the stat sheet-just 0.5 sacks-but his impact was felt in the run game and in the way he commanded double-teams. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s added pass-rushing juice to his game, racking up seven sacks and becoming a cornerstone of the Seahawks’ defensive identity.
Then there’s Leonard Williams, who’s been a wrecking ball on the inside. A second-team All-Pro this season, Williams has been the kind of disruptive presence that offensive lines have to game-plan around every week.
New England’s interior defensive line has been just as dominant. In the AFC Championship Game, they completely neutralized Denver’s run game-a huge reason they’re headed to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots made a splash by signing Milton Williams in the offseason, and he’s paid off. Add in Christian Barmore and Khyris Tonga, and you’ve got a trio that’s been clogging lanes and collapsing pockets all year long.
The trend isn’t limited to just the Super Bowl teams. The Rams have a strong interior core with Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske.
Denver’s group, led by All-Pro Zach Allen alongside D.J. Jones and John Franklin-Myers, is another example of how important this position has become.
The modern NFL places a premium on interior defensive linemen who can do more than just eat space. These guys are game-wreckers.
They allow defensive coordinators to be more creative, more aggressive, and more flexible. But here’s the catch: elite defensive tackles are hard to come by.
You usually need to land one early in the draft-or pay up in free agency.
The 49ers have built a strong foundation on the defensive line. They got younger in 2025, added some promising talent, and will get Nick Bosa back to anchor the edge. But if they want to take that next step-if they want to be back in the Super Bowl conversation next January-they’ll need to find that interior presence who can tilt the field.
Whether it comes in the form of a marquee free agent signing or a high draft pick, adding a true difference-maker at defensive tackle should be high on San Francisco’s offseason priority list. The blueprint is out there. Now it’s up to the 49ers to follow it.