The 49ers’ conversion to a wide-nine alignment along their defensive front has prompted an adjustment to the team’s linebackers, too.
The club will deploy three linebackers in their base defense who will be roughly the same size with the same skillsets and responsibilities.
“In the previous defense, we played with a linebacker on the line of scrimmage, more of a bigger guy that’s a pass rusher on the line of scrimmage that drops every once in a while,” said Johnny Holland, the 49ers’ run game specialist/outside linebackers coach.
“Now, with the wide-nine defense, we’re playing more with stack linebackers, smaller inside linebackers and just dropping in coverage more.