Beast.
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He's the guy I'm most excited about. I really like Taylor signing and I think his athleticism will be a plus at LT but Omenihu really has a chance to break out.
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*Chad Forbes weeps*
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.@Chiefs @charless_94 was a great signing by the Chiefs in FA. Everyone who goes to @49ers on the DL gets better by the way they get trained . Looking for big production this year. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/I3gsOGBbim

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) May 4, 2023

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This is such an under the radar, low key great signing. We really haven't talked about him much since the signing, but it feels like he's the kind of guy who could come out and have a 13-14 sack season off the edge, which we have been desperately missing on this defense.
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If he tightens up against the run he's going to be VERY good. I think in his presser he was saying how because he's often coming into the game he normally doesn't get the opportunity to really set OTs up, it's all reactive. Seems like a smart guy and I think his ceiling might be even a little higher than we've seen even at the Niners.
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I'm mostly just curious about how much more development he can manage at DE.

It does seem like a lot of his production comes from situations like what Baldy is showing there - interior rushes where he can stunt/loop around to find a seam and then be relentless in exploiting it.

Guys don't really find bend. They have it or they don't and 5 years into his career, he has what he's gonna have. But can he find ways to become more effective off the edge through handfighting or sequencing?

Because if he can be an 8-10 sack guy who gets most of his production from the edge, that would be a pretty spectacular complement to the interior rush we get from Jones. And it would take a TON of pressure off Uzi.
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He’s probably the main interior rusher next to Jones and I’m good with that. I think with the snaps he’ll get here 6-7 sacks isn’t out of the question. And FAU coming off the edge helps the group even more.

Mike Danna was a nicely productive DL last year. He was on pace for 7 or so sacks without the missed games.

I just can’t get over how nice it is that a guy like that is now your 5th rusher and BJ Thompson is effectively your 6th, even if it’s situational.

The DL has massively improved this year IMO. Very excited to see it
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I feel like san fran started getting something out of him and Cullens going to continue that.
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I will be shocked if BJ Thompson gets any regular season snaps barring serious catastrophic injury issues. At least this year anyway.
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I think he can probably get better from what he was suggesting in his presser. Mainly that his game has not been about developing counters, executing a plan and setting up OTs, because he's not been a starter. Maybe it won't come to pass but it seems a plausible argument for his improvement.
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More than the immediate improvement is how far the ceiling has come in 2 offseason cycles. Next year I'm guessing we see a high pick at DT to further develop depth and ceiling there
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Do we think Thompson makes the roster or are we expecting the last minute IR everyone is suggesting? I mean I know there's casual talk about him putting on 20-30 pounds or whatever but he's 24 and that stuff doesn't happen overnight, it might never. Do they basically stash him for a year and see what weight they can get him to whilst remaining functional...or do they just commit to him as a situational rusher who can contribute now? Kinda prefer the latter I think.
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As the roster presently stands, there's absolutely room for him to not only make the roster, but get plenty of situational snaps.

Again, we lost Dunlap and Clark, replaced them with Omenihu and Uzi. That leaves any/all snaps we pissed away on Kaindoh and Herring as available. Moreover, Omenihu will likely get a lot of interior rushing snaps, which could free up even more snaps off the edge for Thompson.

If he's even near 250, he can play this season.

Now if we add another veteran as a post June 1 sort of addition, that could change things a bit. But right now there's a clear path to playing time for Thompson and in a very defined role that we don't really have. Even Uzi isn't a real speed rusher as much as he's a guy who can bend an edge.

But if you put Thompson out there and widen him out, then place his target at about 10 yards past the LOS, that's a real headache for QBs because now they have to move up (where Jones/Karlaftis/Omenihu are aiming) or bail out. They can't just take a deeper drop because you've got Thompson flying off the edge at exactly that point and OTs just aren't going to be able to beat him to that spot.

This is EXACTLY why I've been calling for a complementary speed rusher since last off-season. It's because it puts more areas of the pocket at risk and makes movement within said pocket a lot more complicated.
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20 more lbs in an offseason (when he's already added 10 since December) seems really ambitius.

But 5 more gets him near 250 lbs. That'll play.
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