New 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been coaching football since 1995, with 15 of those years coming in the NFL.
So, it's safe to say he has seen plenty of special defensive fronts firsthand -- but none like San Francisco's stacked unit. And Arik Armstead, the 49ers' longest-tenured player, serves a key role in the talented group, with a Swiss Army knife-like ability to play on the inside or outside of the defensive line.
“He gives us that flexibility. I think the rotation that we have outside right now I think is pretty good, pretty deep, but you never want to get to the situation where injuries come up," Wilks told reporters Thursday at training camp, considering whether or not Armstead could move back outside this season.
"It happens, but he gives you an opportunity to be able to go outside and play. Right now inside, man. I mean I probably have never been around a group like this on defense, particularly up front, the talent level that we have.”
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Following an injury to defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw during the 2021 NFL season, Armstead, a defensive end, was moved inside on the D-line by then-coordinator DeMeco Ryans so that the 49ers could maximize their talented roster and keep their best players on the field.
His interior role only has grown since then thanks to plenty of success, with Wilks explaining Armstead typically plays the three-technique between the guard and tackle. But no matter where he plays along the line, it's clear to Wilks that Armstead is a playmaker -- even if the lineman isn't overly vocal about it.
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Armstead on Wednesday said neither he nor defensive end Nick Bosa are "rah rah" leaders on the 49ers -- they prefer to let their style of play do the stirring. Wilks told reporters Thursday he can count on others in the front seven to provide that type of spark, so long as Armstead, Bosa and the rest of the D-line do everything asked of them.
"That's what I was ready to echo," Wilks said of Armstead's comments. "I think the way they play speaks volumes. Our vocal guy is [linebacker] Fred [Warner]; he's going to get everybody going from the front and the back.
"So, the way those guys play up front speaks loud. So, I want them to continue to play hard, get off the ball and do the things that we're asking them to do."
Wilks inherited the NFL's top-ranked defense this season from Ryans, who left the Bay in the spring to take the head-coaching job for the Houston Texans. From Armstead, Bosa and the newly acquired Javon Hargrave to two of the league's best linebackers in Warner and Dre Greenlaw, Wilks certainly has his hands full of talent in the front seven.
