By: Jake Rajala

The Tennessee Titans edge rusher Harold Landry unleashed personal-best figures in sacks (12), quarterback hits (22), combined tackles (75), and tackles for loss (14) a season ago. His efforts and growth in his fourth season led him to punch his first ticket to the Pro Bowl. The Titans awarded his 2021 performance by inking him to a five-year contract extension worth $87.5 million dollars (including $52.5 million guaranteed).

Well, it was confirmed by Adam Schefter of ESPN that Harold was dealt a mountain (by Fauozia) of adversity – as he suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday’s practice. Landry will have to intensely work to bounce back, while the Titans need the likes of Bud Dupree and Ola Adeniyi to blossom.

With that said, I would still unequivocally like to see the Titans target a free agent pass rusher to hunt down opposing signal-callers. Hence, I’m going to untwine five potential replacements for Harold Landry.

• Dee Ford

The former San Francisco 49ers pass rusher has had constant injury issues – as he’s missed 26 games in the past two seasons combined. However, I still believe he nicely showed his talent at 30 years old (in 2021) by ousting three sacks and four QB hits in six games. If he stays healthy, he can blatantly be a wrecking ball.

• Everson Griffen

The Minnesota Vikings legend, Everson Griffen, still has some gas left in the tank. Griffen ousted five sacks and 10 QB hits in nine games last season. He also had six sacks, 14 QB hits in 2020. Furthermore, he made the Pro Bowl in 2019 by registering 8 sacks and 24 QB hits. Besides 2021, he usually has been able to stay healthy.

• Trade for Marcus Davenport

The New Orleans Saints have tremendous pieces (Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Payton Turner) at their DE spot. Jordan is still playing at a high level and I expect Turner to be at least a several sacks plus edge player, too. It may also be difficult to retain Davenport (who is a FA in 2023). After the Saints shipped out Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in his contract season, Dennis Allen may wish to ship away Davenport for the right offer.

• Chris Garrett

The D2 legend and utterly explosive edge rusher Chris Garrett may be a great value pick-up by the Titans. Garrett, who has had injury hiccups this summer, was waived by Sean McVay and the Rams. He holds a similar skill-set as Landry & he could potentially be a star for the Titans long-term.

• Alex Okafor

The former Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher Alex Okafor would be a sharp depth piece. Okafor notched 7 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, and 23 combined tackles last season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The pass-rushing warrior and free agent, Dee Ford, is currently golfing or watching NFL pre-season action at home. Ford is still a talented profile – as he notched three sacks, four QB hits, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble in six games last season. With that stated, I’m going to simply untwine the best landing spots for Dee Ford.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers lost Haason Reddick to the Philadelphia Eagles this off-season and I’d love to see Ford help replace his talents. The Panthers have two young, very athletic edge rushers in Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos. Nonetheless, their pass rush would be more stable and scary with the arrival of Ford. The Panthers made a nice, late off-season splash addition with Baker Mayfield and they shouldn’t keep their foot off the pedal just yet.

Seattle Seahawks

Ford may not despise the San Francisco 49ers after being with them for only a few seasons, but he can tell himself that he hates them twice a season with the Seahawks. The Hawks defense that broke up with Bobby Wagner and allowed Carlos Dunlap to leave could improve their fight in the loaded NFC West w/ the explosive Dee Ford.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears can’t lay down in an NFC North division that witnessed the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions make superb strides this off-season. The Bears front seven lost Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks this off-season, so they could clearly benefit from a new, fearless horse in their front seven. Ford and Robert Quinn would be an impressive pass-rushing combination, to say the least.

New York Giants

The New York Giants have the intimidating rookie Kavyon Thibodeaux and the versatile DL Leonard Williams on their DL. With that said, they shouldn’t slow down their additions of talent in an NFC East division that had two playoff squads last season. Ford could potentially be an x-factor on the underrated NFC squad.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams still have Sean McVay – who is trigger-happy with signing free agents. The Rams front seven already has Aaron Donald and Bobby Wagner. It would be quite surreal if LAR brought in Ford to hunt down opposing signal-callers. Plus, it should be noted that edge rusher Chris Garrett is nursing a groin injury and he may not be given the green light in Week 1.

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By: Jake Rajala

The San Francisco 49ers carry the blood-thirsty, two-time Pro Bowl DE Nick Bosa, but he may be missing a partner in the near future. Per Niners Nation, the 49ers are expected to cut ties with Dee Ford in June. Ford has been a pass-rushing menace in his career, but he has only played in seven games in the past two seasons for the 49ers. It’s clear that John Lynch doesn’t feel his price tag is worth the risk at this point. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three potential pass rusher replacements for Ford.

Justin Houston

Justin Houston might be 33 years old, but he has been a productive pass rusher in recent memory (11 sacks in 2019, 8 sacks in 2020, and 4.5 sacks in 2021). Houston would have to be enticed about the idea of playing on the same DL as Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa. I don’t believe he would want the same price tag as Carlos Dunlap, but he could still provide production for a couple of more seasons.

Everson Griffen

The Vikings edge rusher Everson Griffen holds a similar outlook as Houston. He is also an aging pass rusher (34) and he mustered out 5 sacks in nine games last season. Similar to Richard Sherman, he is also a special person that has made mistakes and battled demons with his mental health. I expect him to return to a championship-caliber squad with a nice fit for his ability.

Jason Pierre-Paul

The former Buccaneers edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul has been rumored to land with the Cowboys, but he may be more interested in joining the 49ers potential empty chair for him. JPP had a down 2021 season, but he did have 9.5 sacks and 2 interceptions in 2020. He has gifted athletic ability and he may be the type of less expensive signing that can find gold with great match-ups late in his career.

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By: Andy Davies

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers (both 6) have more Super Bowl wins than the 49ers (5). The 49ers’ five Super Bowls all came between the years of 1981 and 1994. They have lost two since, in the 2012 and 2019 seasons. The quarterbacks that led the 49ers to the Lombardi Trophy were Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young. Three of those five wins saw Montana as the starter and Young as the backup.

Young is seen by many as the best backup quarterback in history, considering the gold jacket that he earned despite many years as the backup to Montana. He would win a Super Bowl as the starter after the franchise moved on from Montana. Ever since Young decided to hang up his cleats, the 49ers have struggled to find his replacement. Have they found the guy in Trey Lance?

Perhaps, but here is why the quarterback situation involving Lance and current starter Jimmy Garoppolo could prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West during the 2021 season.

Struggles Since Young

Jeff Garcia was the man to come in for Young. During his five seasons in the Bay, he threw for 113 touchdowns and 56 interceptions as well as 16,408 passing yards. He had a 35-36 record as a starter for the 49ers in the regular season and a 1-2 record in the postseason, meaning he never hit the heights of his predecessor.

Alex Smith was the number one overall pick in 2005, shattering Aaron Rodgers’ dreams. However, he was a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. Colin Kaepernick replaced Smith and took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. They ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens in a game often called the ”˜Blackout Bowl’. Kaepernick failed to live up to the standards he set that season.

He would be kicked out of the league for taking the knee in a protest against police brutality in 2016. He has not played a snap in the NFL since. Jimmy Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. He gave hope to the organization after winning all five of the games he started in 2017. The fanbase had hope going into the 2018 season.

Many non-49ers fans had San Francisco down as their dark horse for the season. A season-ending injury to Garoppolo in Week 3 saw the starting role shared between Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. However, the 49ers finished 4-12 as they went into 2019 with the second overall pick. Nick Bosa was selected and transformed the defense of San Francisco and Jimmy G had the best season of his career. He threw for 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Despite these stats, Garoppolo saw his production limited in the NFC Championship game as the coaching staff decided to use more of their running game. This led to many questions leading to the Super Bowl. The 49ers threw away a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter as they would end up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

Garoppolo was criticized heavily for an overthrown pass to Emmanuel Sanders that would have given San Francisco back the lead. His 2020 season saw a mixture of poor form and injury. During the 2021 offseason, the 49ers traded up with the Miami Dolphins to gain the number three overall pick. They took Lance with the pick, showcasing their intentions to eventually move off from Garoppolo. There is now talk of whether San Francisco and head coach Kyle Shanahan will start Lance in week one. The other scenarios discussed are either Lance coming in mid-season or sitting out the whole campaign as the backup to Garoppolo. The uncertainty will have a significant impact on the 49ers’ season.

The Strength of the NFC West

This is a problem that will affect all four teams in the best division in the NFL. There is a chance that all four teams can make the playoffs. Los Angeles has an exciting new quarterback in 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray that they would never dream of trading away. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ starting quarterback is largely unpopular by fans, due to a mixture of the overthrown pass in the Super Bowl, his poor 2020 campaign and his injury record.

San Francisco has the least trusted quarterback in the division. With the position being one of the most crucial in all sports, it does not bode well for a team when there is uncertainty in the position. Garoppolo may be benched at some point during the season for Lance. However, the 49ers would be putting a rookie that will still be learning the system into the toughest division in the NFL.

Learning From Mahomes, Jackson, Tua and Burrow

If San Francisco are to help Lance succeed, they will need to take some lessons from recent draft classes. Patrick Mahomes, widely seen as the best quarterback in the league, spent all but one game of his 2017 rookie season as a backup to Alex Smith. The Chiefs then traded Smith the following offseason and Mahomes has never looked back. In his first three full seasons as a starter in the NFL, he has reached two Super Bowls, winning one. He has also been crowned MVP and Super Bowl MVP and reached three successive AFC Championship games. All three have been at home. On the flip side, 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow started in week one of his rookie year. He wouldn’t last the season, only playing ten games before injury curtailed his first NFL campaign. He was impressive before his injury but there are no guarantees he will be the same player when he returns.

Lamar Jackson was a backup to Joe Flacco during his 2018 rookie year but won the starting role midseason. He has since gone on to win an MVP award and is the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins brought Tua Tagovailoa in mid-season but he struggled in his rookie season. He is seen to already be on the hot seat, with many feeling the Dolphins rushed him in. These examples all show there are reasons for the 49ers to be hasty when it comes to choosing when to bring Lance into the starting role.

Lance Or Garoppolo In 2021?

The 49ers will have to decide soon who their starter will be in 2021. Considering Lance has only played one full season (2019), he is likely to start the season as the backup. He only threw for a combined total of 31 passing attempts, two touchdowns and 1 interception across the 2018 and 2020 seasons, albeit the latter campaign being disrupted by the pandemic. He is likely to be a work in progress but his 28 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 2019 mean that he is one for the future.

Garoppolo will likely start in week one but it was clear from the NFC Championship game that Shanahan doesn’t completely trust him.

Jimmy G is a capable quarterback but his health is a concern. Expect Garoppolo to remain as the starter provided the 49ers are winning games but for Lance to come in should Garoppolo either be injured or start the season poorly.

Should this happen, this will be the end of Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco. Depending on timing, he will then be traded either before the deadline or in the 2022 offseason.

Can The 49ers Returning Players Avoid A Repeat Of 2020?

This is key if the 49ers are to challenge for both the NFC West and the NFC. After earning the number one seed and reaching Super Bowl 54 during the 2019 campaign, San Francisco finished 6-10 in 2020 and bottom of the division. A ”˜Super Bowl Hangover’ played its part but the main cause of such a decline was down to a colossal amount of injuries the team suffered. Along with the aforementioned Garoppolo, the 49ers also saw Bosa, Dee Ford, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and Solomon Thomas miss large chunks of the 2020 season due to injury.

San Francisco had 33 players reported questionable and there were 186 occasions when the 49ers reported a player on injured reserve. They had the second-most injuries of any team in the NFL over the past twenty years. Should all these players come back, then this 49ers roster will be one of the best in the league. This will make life much easier for whoever the San Francisco starting quarterback is.

However, from the strength of the division to the uncertainty at quarterback, San Francisco will find it tough to win the NFC West.

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