BREAKING: San Francisco 49ers Trade For Former Dallas Cowboys Pass Rusher To Replace All Time Quarterback after Raiders were…
The San Francisco 49ers executed a trade Wednesday that will fill in the hole on the defensive line Arik Armstead used to occupy. The 49ers are set to release Armstead this offseason after the former first-round pick chose not to take a pay decrease.
The 49ers did not want to pay Armstead as his overall play had declined in the previous few seasons. Armstead hit the jackpot ($85 million for five seasons) when he recorded ten sacks during the 2019 season. He’s registered just 11 sacks in the previous three seasons.
The 49ers traded for Maliek Collins
Per Adam Schefter with ESPN, with Armstead on his way out, the 49ers traded with the Houston Texans for defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
Collins recorded as many sacks as Armstead in 2023
The Dallas Cowboys selected Collings in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s been with the Texans since the 2021 season.
Collins matched Armstead’s sack production during the 2023 season by recording five sacks. Collins has recorded 206 tackles, 25.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in his eight-year NFL career.
Per Pro Football Focus, Collins earned a 62.7 grade for his overall play during the 2023 season. He earned a higher pass rush (70.1) grade than his run defense (45.6) last season. Armstead earned an 81.9 overall grade for his play in the 2023 season.
There was talk last year when Vander Esch went to injured reserve that it could be a career-threatening situation. Then last month, while giving updates on some injured players, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones had plenty to share about the progress of Trevon Diggs and DeMarvion Overshown but got tight-lipped quickly when asked about Vander Esch. Either it’s still a big unknown, or there’s an announcement that they’re just waiting to make.
Signing Kendricks doesn’t necessarily mean Vander Esch is gone. The Cowboys LB room needed more bodies, especially if new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer isn’t going to use safeties the way Dan Quinn did. And with Vander Esch only counting $4.4 million against the 2024 cap, plus Overshown and Damone Clark still being on rookie deals, the overhead at linebacker is small enough that Kendricks could be added without any subtractions. Plus, Kendricks’ experience with Zimmer from Minnesota could make him a valuable transition aid to the new scheme for everyone, including Vander Esch.
Still, Kendricks’ on-field role in Dallas will be what Vander Esch has done the last few years as a primary run-stopper. He’s also likely to be the “green dot” player, receiving calls from the coaches and relaying them to the rest of the defense, as Vander Esch did for Quinn. It would be unorthodox to go from a 28-year-old to a 32-year-old as the leader in your LB room, unless you don’t think the younger guy is going to be available.
Even if Vander Esch doesn’t retire, the Cowboys may not want to carry the risk any longer. They can get back $2.15 million in cap space if he’s released. They get that same amount back if he announces his retirement, having just one year left on his current contract. It won’t matter if it happens now or after June 1st.
