Former Rams Captain Named Potential Fill-In for 49ers’ Arik Armstead

Getty Arik Armstead on October 3, 2022.

Since after October 3, Arik Armstead has shown up on the injury list for the San Francisco 49ers.

And on Wednesday, October 26, head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned Armstead’s foot and ankle injury first in his opening statements to the Bay Area media.

The powerful and towering 6-foot-7, 285-pound versatile defensive lineman is on pace to miss his fourth consecutive game if he’s unable to suit up against the Los Angeles Rams for their Week 8 contest.

And now, one analyst has proposed this idea with the NFL trade deadline on the horizon on November 1: Taking in a “consistent and versatile” veteran defender who happens to have ties to the Rams.

49ers Called to Add Former Division Rival

Marc Delucchi of Niners Nation on SB Nation believes there’s something left in the tank of defensive lineman Michael Brockers.

With Armstead battling his lingering foot and ankle injuries, Delucchi believes the current Detroit Lions defender can be worthy of a trade proposal — one that Delucchi believes is worth the 49ers sending a 2023 seventh-rounder to Detroit for Brockers.

“Michael Brockers was a consistent and versatile contributor on the Rams’ defensive line for 11 seasons before inking a three-year deal with the Lions before last season,” Delucchi wrote. “Since arriving in Detroit, though, Brockers’ production has plummeted. At 31, Brockers may no longer be a viable contributor, but it’s easy to envision a renaissance playing alongside Nick Bosa.”

Delucchi already has this telling prediction for Brockers’ future in the Motor City.

“Barring an excellent second half of the season, Brockers is going to be released by the Lions this off-season,” Delucchi said. “With that in mind, it’s hard to envision Detroit passing on an opportunity to recoup any draft capital for Brockers at the deadline.

“The Niners would be on the hook for roughly half of Brockers’ $3 million base salary this season (although Detroit could pick up some of it). Still, his $10 million base salary in 2023 is entirely nonguaranteed, meaning the 49ers can release him after this season without incurring any dead money,” Delucchi added.

Would Brockers be Considered a Rental?

When the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey, Shanahan denied calling “Run CMC” a rental player — letting it be known they want to keep McCaffrey in the Bay Area for a while.

Brockers, however, would likely be seen as a rental considering the situation he could walk in if traded. He would only be coming in to fill in for Armstead until the longtime 49er is healthy enough to plug running lanes and chase quarterbacks again.

“While not quite on Arik Armstead’s level, Brockers has a similar versatility, splitting his time between the edge and interior defensive line over the past several seasons,” Delucchi said. “Brockers would be an excellent candidate to help fill Armstead’s shoes while he is out with plantar fasciitis, but could also play a role if Armstead returns.”

Brockers has a slightly shorter height at 6-foot-5, but still brings 297 pounds of force when called upon. And the last time he was in the NFC West, he collected 451 tackles, 274 solo stops, 52 tackles for a loss and 28.0 career sacks in nine seasons with the Rams according to Pro Football Reference.

Obviously, the 49ers making such a move would have to occur after the Rams game on Sunday, October 30. But considering how much Armstead’s absence has lingered, it’s become understandable why Brockers has had his name mentioned as an idea.