San Francisco 49ers

Why the 49ers Should Play Safety Eric Reid at Linebacker

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers are going to be hard-pressed to replace linebacker NaVorro Bowman but could alleviate the issue by moving safety Eric Reid into Bowman’s spot. It was an argument made by KNBR 680’s Kevin Jones, and here’s why it makes perfect sense.

The San Francisco 49ers need to bump safety Eric Reid down inside the front-seven box to help fill the void left by All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman.

KNBR 680’s Kevin Jones made this argument recently, and his rationale here is without question.

Jones wrote:

Last week against the Cowboys, Reid lined up as both an outside linebacker and the nickel back. O’Neil understands he has the luxury of safety depth (Antoine Bethea and Jaquiski Tartt) and can get away with using Reid as an interchangeable chess piece on defense.

In an effort to tap into Reid’s skill set and toughen up the 32nd ranked run defense, O’Neil should occasionally play the safety at linebacker Thursday against the Cardinals. Reid’s strengths as a hard hitter and pursuer in space work better closer to the line of scrimmage than they do deep down the field.

Bowman, who is out for the year with an Achilles injury, is impossible to replace. Not only is he the Niners’ best defensive player, but he’s also a vocal leader of the team.

But, as Jones also noted, Reid is also emerging as a young leader. He’s broken down pregame huddles before and, aside from veteran defensive backs Tramaine Brock and Antoine Bethea, is a senior member of San Francisco’s secondary.

Yet there’s more to the equation.

Reid is excelling this year against the run. According to Pro Football Focus, Reid owns a commendable 86.8 run-defense grade through four weeks.

San Francisco is allowing a league-high 140.5 rushing yards per game.

Aug 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

No Other Options

One thought here would be to move second-year pro Jaquiski Tartt down into a hybrid safety/linebacker role, which is probably what many anticipated would happen. But Tartt hasn’t made the leap from his rookie year.

PFF currently grades him 47.4 against the run. And he might actually be better suited in more of a traditional coverage role at this early point in his career.

As for the remaining options? Well, linebacker Gerald Hodges is probably the best ILB run defender. Fellow linebacker Michael Wilhoite hasn’t been overly effective. And who knows if Nick Bellore will be an adequate replacement.

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It’s an imperfect situation for San Francisco. Reid, who is one of the Niners’ better tacklers, has the range to converge from side to side within the front seven.

And mixing him in with blitz packages has worked well too.

So Jones’ assessment is spot on. The 49ers need to go this route. They need to put one of their better defenders in a position to rectify the team’s biggest weakness.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.

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