Arik Armstead on 49ers’ defensive line: ‘Our room is pretty loaded with talent’

As the San Francisco 49ers take to the field for OTAs this week, the sense of excitement over the talent the team has added in the offseason is palpable.

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SiriusXM Editor
May 20, 2019

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead. (AP Photo)

As the San Francisco 49ers take to the field for OTAs this week, the sense of excitement over the talent the team has added in the offseason is palpable.

Defensive end Arik Armstead, for one, is particularly pleased to have two key additions to his position: first-round draft pick Nick Bosa from Ohio State and Dee Ford via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

‘We’re extremely excited about it’

“Our room is pretty loaded with talent and we’re working as hard as we can, getting familiar with each other,” Armstead told Alex Marvez and Adam Caplan on NFL Rewind. “So we’re extremely excited about it.”

“I think we have the bodies in the room to really set a solid edge and keep all the run game in the interior and don’t let any runs come outside of our defense.”

Armstead, who joined the 49ers in 2015 as a first-round draft pick from Oregon, said he doesn’t anticipate the influx of new faces to change what he does.

‘They move me around’

“No, I think my role will be pretty similar,” he said. “I think I’ll be playing some five technique and rushing (from the) inside. They move me around. I played some one-technique shade last year. So I’ll be playing inside and outside and moving up and down the line.”

Kris Kocurek, the Niners’ new defensive line coach, has led the installation of more wide-nine fronts.

‘With our inside guys penetrating as well, we should be able to create some havoc’

“We’ll be playing some wide techniques, some wide nines and some five techniques,” Armstead said. “So I think it’ll be super good for us. I think we have the bodies in the room to really set a solid edge and keep all the run game in the interior and don’t let any runs come outside of our defense. And with our inside guys penetrating as well, we should be able to create some havoc.”



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