As D.J. Jones likely has played himself into a nice new deal this upcoming offseason, fellow 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead has played much more to the standards of his contract this season. Jones believes Armstead actually is the most important player on the 49ers' defense, and his defensive coordinator is on the same page.
It all started with defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw's season coming to an end after Week 5 to a knee injury. That plus the 49ers acquiring defensive tackle Charles Omenihu from the Houston Texans meant Armstead was going to have to make a change. To keep their best players on the field and maximize their roster, DeMeco Ryans moved Armstead, listed as a defensive end, inside on the D-line.
He now couldn't be more appreciative of Armstead.
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"I love that D.J. says that about Arik," Ryans said Wednesday. "I spoke about it before where Arik is ... it's just an unselfish move going inside, when he's been a defensive end for us for so long. For him to move inside and to not be as comfortable inside with the technique, but to see him continue to work, to continue to focus on the small details of playing 3-technique or 2i and to get better at it, and now to see him over the past couple of weeks just really dominate inside -- it's awesome to watch.
"It's awesome to see a guy like Arik step in and step up for our defense where we needed it the most. He stepped up the biggest for us, and that's been the biggest turnaround in our defense, is the play of Arik Armstead inside."
Armstead first started playing defensive tackle in the 49ers' Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He recorded four tackles, including one for a loss. His role inside only grew from there.
Through the 49ers' first five games -- where Armstead lined up on the outside -- he averaged just two tackles per game and had recorded only one sack. In the final 12 games of the regular season, Armstead averaged 4.4 tackles per game. He recorded five sacks in that span, plus six tackles for loss and nine QB hits.
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He showed up big at Jerry World too, finishing the 49ers' wild-card win against the Dallas Cowboys with four tackles, three QB hits and one sack. That begs the question, is Armstead's long-term home going to be inside?
Ryans, who is set to interview for the Minnesota Vikings' head-coaching job, couldn't answer that question quite yet. What he could do is show how much he values Armstead's versatility.
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"I don't know that," Ryans said with a laugh. "Wherever he needs to play. Arik can play inside, Arik can play outside. That's Arik. He's a playmaker, no matter where he is. When he was on the outside, he had a huge year for us in 2019 when he had 10 sacks playing on the outside. He moves inside this year, the most tackles he's had in his career.
"Arik's had career years on the outside and on the inside. You're talking about a very talented player, no matter where he plays, whatever position it is. You can just call his position playmaker."
The 49ers will need Armstead to be just that -- a playmaker -- Saturday against the Green Bay Packers if they're going to unseat the NFC's top seed.