Week 15 Recap: Trench Grades + Takeaways from a Trent Williams Masterclass
And can someone get these DBs on the JUGS machine?
I’m doing another #superpost and combining both stories this week because jet lag from my trip to India has whooped my ass. I have to go through and update the season-long grades, so I’ll have those back up and running next week. This is a purely manual operation, and the 49ers have another Monday night game, so we may be operating on Wednesday/Thursday schedule from here on out. But enough housekeeping. We’re back, starting with takeaways.
Takeaways: Gimme more CJ West
CJ West > Kalia Davis
I’ve given a bit of deference to Kalia Davis because the experience of Davis is that once every seven plays, he makes an incredible run stop. The problem is, about half of the time, his aggression means he’s getting completely washed out. I’m starting to prefer him as a bit player in a pass rushing role, because with the club off his hand, he at least has some pop off the line when he’s not doubled.
This was a week when Davis’ method of attack in the run game was a fundamental flaw in the 49ers’ defense. Maybe it works with someone like Jordan Elliott in there, who has reliable size, and improved after an ugly 2024 campaign. He’s been steadier this year, and at least a safely mediocre player with some pop plays.
But this was a game in which it was evident what CJ West brings to the table. He is stout. He was consistently disruptive in the run game. And sometimes, that disruption simply means holding his ground. The 49ers are in dire need of gap pluggers, not gap shooters. West is the former. Davis is the latter. And West need more than 14 snaps.
While their scheme values aggression, it’s hard to have two attacking, unreliable defensive tackles when Curtis Robinson is waiting to be cleaned up behind them. Maybe Elliott returning to the lineup will make Davis look a bit better, but Alfred Collins’ inconsistency next to Davis clearly wasn’t the answer. I’d love a look at Collins and West playing next to each other as quasi starters, particularly against a Colts team that will intend to slow the game to a halt, and use double team blocks up front to free Jonathan Taylor.
