SANTA CLARA — Three men walked into a bar. Or maybe they wish they did. Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, and John Lynch came together at midfield and gazed at the 49ers’ defensive players they had left for Thursday’s practice, under almost sarcastically sunny skies.
Of course, that unit presses on without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams for the rest of this season. But two more defensive mainstays missed Thursday’s session: linebacker Dee Winters (knee) and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (hip). Also added to the injury report after limited duty were just-acquired defensive end Keion White (groin) and defensive tackle Kalia Davis (ankle).
Alas, more reinforcements could be needed on an ever-changing defense, one that must bond fast Sunday when the 49ers (6-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (6-2). Saleh, in his increasingly challenging encore as defensive coordinator, must orchestrate more magic than ever anticipated from a young and recalibrating defense. Call it a “New-Name Defense.”
So who’s surfacing now as the vocal leader, the enforcer, the turnover-forcing playmaker?
“That’s the exciting part,” Saleh said. “When we were here in ’17 and ’18, it was, ‘Who’s going to be next?’ You saw this little skinny linebacker named Fred Warner and nobody expected it to be him. Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, all those guys were so young, rose to the occasion, and made a name for themselves.”
That group is gone, except officially for Warner, who was in the 49ers locker room Thursday and in upbeat spirits while scootering around on his surgically repaired right ankle. Still, the 49ers are scouring to fill Warner’s on-field void.
The candidates?
“This group, being as young as it is, I wish I could tell you,” Saleh said. “I have an idea. I’m excited for everybody to take advantage of their opportunity and evolve the way we know they’re capable of.”
Bryce Huff, with a team-high four sacks, is expected to return from a hamstring injury and align on a frontline with last week’s newcomers, White and Clelin Ferrell.
Nametags wouldn’t be a bad idea at this point.
“Man, I’m terrible with names, so just trying to learn everybody’s name is big for me,” White said. “The guys in my room are really cool, real funny. It’s cool to get to know them.”
White gave no indication his groin issue is serious, and he praised Saleh’s “aggressive, one-gap, one-man” scheme. “Coach Saleh says, ‘Go be disruptive, play 100 percent and we’ll figure out the rest after,’” he added.
Ferrell chimed in, saying, “When you come in on a new team, you have, I don’t want to say more important things, but you have so many things you’re trying to learn. It comes with that awkward moment of, ‘What’s your name again?’ But it’s pretty normal.”
Their mission Sunday: keep Matthew Stafford from adding to his NFL lead of 21 touchdown passes.
Lynch, in his ninth season as general manager, defended the 49ers’ trade-deadline motives by pointing to his four earlier trades, from Huff’s arrival in June to White’s acquisition last week. Just because Tuesday’s deadline came without more help didn’t mean the 49ers overslept.
“We weren’t going to get fleeced. We weren’t going to overpay,” Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM. “It’s just not good business.”
And it’s just not a good pass rush or ball-hawking defense that is ushering the 49ers into the second-half push toward the playoffs.
Then again, Saleh’s defense has delivered timely plays, from win-clinching sacks in their first two games at Seattle and New Orleans to last month’s overtime win in Los Angeles, where a fourth-down stop ended things but only after Collins forced and recovered a fumble at the 1-yard line late in regulation.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune, who has a thigh issue ahead of his fourth start in Warner’s place, insists the leadership vacuum is being filled by all.
“We all come together to find out what we can do better together as a defense,” Bethune said. “After the game, we get on the plane, and we all stand up watching film, trying to correct stuff we could have done better in the game.”
**Health Updates**
Quarterback Brock Purdy remains limited in practice for a fourth straight week, and perhaps signaling another week on the sidelines, the 49ers had replacement starter Mac Jones address the media again Thursday. Center Jake Brendel (hamstring) was also limited.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) remained out but ran well on a side field.
Full participants were Jones (knee), wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder), left guard Ben Bartch (ankle), and cornerback Darrell Luter (Achilles).
The Rams upgraded wide receiver Puca Nacua (chest) and cornerback Darious Williams (shoulder) to full participants while wide receiver Jordan Whittington (back) was their lone player out.
**Extra Points**
Jones said of Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s 7th-leading receiver: “He’s super talented. I’d seen it from afar, but being on the field with him in OTAs and camp, he’s explosive. He trains all the movements. He gets open and catches the ball, the two vital parts of being a receiver.”
Return specialist Skyy Moore was saddened to learn former Western Michigan teammate and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide Thursday following a police chase. Moore said he and Kneeland were part of the same 2019 recruiting class.
Left tackle Trent Williams, a three-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowler, was surprised to learn he won the 49ers’ in-house nod as Offensive Player of the Week.
“When I walked into the O-line room, I got fined for being up there. That’s how I figured it out.”
Why has Williams never been the NFC Offensive Player of the Week?
“That’s a valid point. I’d like to hear the answer, too,” he replied.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/06/49ers-have-a-new-name-defense-scrambling-to-fill-holes-before-rams-visit/
