GETTY Arik Armstead of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019.
Arik Armstead sounded off on several San Francisco 49ers topics Wednesday, but his comments on former teammate DeForest Buckner and new teammate Javon Kinlaw were the most interesting.
Armstead talked with 49ers media members through a Zoom call, the first time he’s done so since signing a 5-year, $85 million contract this spring.
Signing a new contract meant that the 49ers had to deal Buckner to retain some type of value, seeing San Francisco trade the defensive tackle to the Indianapolis Colts for the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Comments on Buckner
With Buckner and Armstead’s exceptional play, it was going to be nearly impossible to keep both defensive lineman on the roster when it came time for their second contracts.
Arik Armstead said on video conference call w/media that he was “shocked” after he signed his deal & then DeForest Buckner wound up getting traded. #49ers
San Francisco elected to extend Armstead and trade Buckner likely due to the fact that Buckner was worth more on the trade market. However, that didn’t make things any easier for Armstead, especially when Buckner’s trade and his contract extension were announced on the same day.
“It was of course an interesting day to say the least,” Armstead said. “A lot of excitement in signing back with the Niners. It’s definitely what I wanted to do. DeFo getting traded was a shock to me and I was trying to figure out how that happened.
“I saw that on the media then I called DeFo and we talked about it. Everything happens for a reason. It’s weird not being on the same team anymore and not playing alongside each other. But we’re both super blessed. He definitely deserves that contract, is an amazing player and he’ll do amazing things in Indianapolis.
Buckner didn’t replicate his 12 sacks from 2018, but his 7.5 sacks in 2019 were still immensely valuable, especially as an interior rusher. With Armstead rushing from the strong end and Nick Bosa attacking from the weakside, the trio was a nightmare for NFL quarterbacks in 2019.
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Welcoming Javon Kinlaw
While that trio is no longer together, the 49ers have replaced Buckner with one of college football’s best defensive tackles in 2019. Kinlaw comes with an impressive SEC pedigree, and Armstead acknowledged that Wednesday.
“Javon is going to have his own career,” Armstead said. “But looking at him in the limited stuff I’ve seen, he’s extremely talented, athletic, strong.
“He’s going to add a lot to our team and I’m excited for when we all get back together to start that journey, to help bring him along and up to speed, be a leader and guide him through his career, especially in these early stages.”
Armstead’s appreciation for Kinlaw as his own player is important considering that Kinlaw is beginning his NFL and 49ers career in the context of Buckner’s impressive first few seasons in the league.
Kinlaw’s reputation as a player is less focused on pass-rushing compared to Buckner’s, but the former South Carolina Gamecock was consistently disruptive in all phases of the game, totaling 65 tackles, 15 sacks and seven pass knockdowns in his last two years in college.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, MT. Follow and reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier.