I hate the circumstances by which we are having to test our depth, but given that we are this late into the season, with playoff hopes resting firmly within our own hands, and a very real possibility to win out and clinch a 1st round bye, is there a better way to learn what our team is truly capable of?
I give us about 25% odds of winning out with the Niners losing against NE.
I suspect that with Browner out, our defense will not be much worse off. At OLB, the position is probably better served by youth at this point, and Malcom seems to be rising to the occasion. Outside linebackers are arguably the most fungible position on any defense, so the loss of Hill for a few weeks, or even relegating him to backup, does not scare me. In fact, we might find that production at the position improves as it did when we dumped Curry for KJ. Hill has a long injury history and is entering the twilight of his career.
The depth at CB intrigues me most, to be certain. It's no mistake that we have taken guys like Browner and Sherman, transforming them into superstars. Sure, they have the athletic ability and size we were looking for, but it was our coaching staff who helped develop that talent. Our late round picks have been based almost entirely on development potential and in that department we are nearly unmatched. I have little doubt that guys like Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell will rise to the occasion, possibly playing better than the lower 50 percentile in the NFL. Walter Thurmond looked quite solid last weekend, so here's to hoping he can stay healthy.
Will we notice the absence of Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner? Yes, quite likely. There are certain things we do with those two that we can't do with the smaller guys. Our defense will have to adjust, but I don't think the drop off will be that bad.