The 49ers’ conversion to a wide-nine alignment along their defensive front has prompted an adjustment to the team’s linebackers, too.
The club will deploy three linebackers in their base defense who will be roughly the same size with the same skillsets and responsibilities.
“In the previous defense, we played with a linebacker on the line of scrimmage, more of a bigger guy that’s a pass rusher on the line of scrimmage that drops every once in a while,” said Johnny Holland, the 49ers’ run game specialist/outside linebackers coach.
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The past two years, the 49ers’ middle linebacker and weakside linebackers were similar positions. The major difference was the middle linebacker was in charge of relaying the calls from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to the huddle.
Now, the strongside linebacker fits into the same mold, too.
“All three are interchangeable, so that makes it easier to coach,” Holland said. “Now you coach one thing to a group of guys.”
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It will also allow the 49ers to put their three best linebackers on the field in the team’s base defense. Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner are projected as starters, while Malcolm Smith, rookie Dre Greenlaw and Elijah Lee are among those in play for the other starting job.
[RELATED: DeMeco Ryans explains how 49ers' linebackers room has vastly improved]
When asked how the defense will look different, Saleh answered, “Just more people behind the ball, the (strongside) linebacker not being on the ball.”
With the defensive ends lining up wider and getting up the field, run plays designed to go outside will be turned inside quicker toward the linebackers.
“What it does it sets our edges a lot faster and makes the ball come inside and not wide,” Holland said. “There are certain runs that are hard to run against wide nines, and so we’ll probably going to see a few different kinds of inside runs.
“We have athletic guys who can run. I think it's going to benefit the guys we have now. We’re not going to ask our pass rushers to be drop guys. That’s going to benefit our system.”