The 49ers made the right decision in releasing Arik Armstead, but they now have to find a replacement, and that won’t be simple.
The 49ers were forced to urge Armstead to accept a wage cut because he is too costly, too old, and too prone to injuries to justify
maintaining him. Furthermore, he was perfectly entitled to turn down the pay decrease and hunt for a better offer elsewhere. He also
has the option to re-sign with the 49ers if he is unable to find a better offer.
Let’s just say Armstead signs with a different squad and moves on. The 49ers would therefore lose one of their finest run defenders
and their best defensive tackle. Yes, Armstead is deteriorating and becoming increasingly absent.
Not only that, but he was an integral part of the 49ers’ third-down packages, proving that he is more than just a run defender. Despite
never having made it to a Pro Bowl, he is a three-down impact player.
Thus, in order to replace him, the 49ers will need to sign a top player. Additionally, they would have signed Christian Wilkins if they
had the salary cap space to sign a top defensive tackle.
As a result, the 49ers should select a defensive tackle in the first round of this year’s draft. Until Armstead declined to accept a pay
decrease, I assume they intended to choose an offensive tackle. They are now forced to use this year’s first-round selection to replace
him.
Solomon Thomas and Javon Kinlaw were the 49ers’ previous two first-round selections in defensive tackles. I hope this season goes
better for the 49ers.
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