John Lynch said that the 49ers' focus this offseason was building out the defensive line with more depth that will stick around.
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off of their Super Loss with a burning desire to finally finish the job. Lead football executive John Lynch has put a great team in place but they have yet to win it all under his watch. One thing he focused on this offseason was ensuring that the team could have continuity in their next quests for the ultimate prize.
Lynch said that he set out to “rework our defensive line” this offseason in the 49ers' State of the Franchise. He said that because the team has had high-end talents on big deals like Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave, the main supportive pieces around them were one-year signings.
“We've had a great story to tell them, look at all those guys who have taken a chance with us on a one-year deal and it’s turned into a big-time, lucrative deal for them elsewhere,” Lynch said. “But this year, we wanted some stability,” Lynch said, via 49ers Webzone. “So you go find a Leonard Floyd, an established vet, a presence on the opposite side of Bosa, a Yetur Gross-Matos, who was really a guy out there that we really got a consensus and felt great about him, and being able to add a guy like that for two years. And on the inside, a Jordan Elliott and a Maliek Collins via trade. We reworked our defensive line.”
Lynch stressed the importance of the draft but said that the players who were projected to be available at the 49ers' picks weren’t what they hoped for. The trades for Collins and Elliott provide veteran talent that came from good defensive teams.
With Bosa leading the way, the 49ers will always be a top-notch defense. But having a supporting cast stick together for multiple years can go a long way. The Niners even still found room to extend the contract of superstar running back Christian McCaffrey this offseason, ensuring that the band can stay together. But there is also work to do with Brandon Aiyuk's contract.
The 49ers are once again set up to be in the upper echelon of the NFC, if not the league. They should be Super Bowl contenders for years to come with the only question being when they will finally get the job done.
