This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
RISING
Dre Greenlaw, (3-4) ILB, SF
The 49ers traded Kwon Alexander to the Saints, which would seem to entail promoting Greenlaw to the starting lineup in Alexander's former spot. Fellow linebacker Kiko Alonso was acquired in the trade, but he wasn't the target so much as a trivial throw-in on the Saints' part that offers the 49ers decent depth at the position. Greenlaw has been fairly consistently promising in his 983 defensive snaps to this point, accumulating 127 tackles (91 solo), two sacks and one interception. That includes 35 tackles and one sack on 253 snaps in 2020, which would generally project for around 140 tackles in a typical 16-game season. With the San Francisco offense a little less stable than it was in 2019, it's left some new slack for the 49ers defense, which has led to healthy tackle production for both Greenlaw and fellow starting inside linebacker Fred Warner.
Stephon Tuitt, (3-4) DE, PIT
Tuitt had gone most of his seven-year Pittsburgh career known more for occupying space on the interior Steelers defensive line than for creating space, but that story has changed so far in 2020. Through 360 snaps in seven games Tuitt has 25 tackles and six sacks, leaving him just shy of his career-high 6.5 sacks from 2015, which was accumulated over 872 snaps. With more than 500 snaps to go compared to that year, he'll almost certainly breeze past that 6.5 in the upcoming weeks. Tuitt was often injured earlier
RISING
Dre Greenlaw, (3-4) ILB, SF
The 49ers traded Kwon Alexander to the Saints, which would seem to entail promoting Greenlaw to the starting lineup in Alexander's former spot. Fellow linebacker Kiko Alonso was acquired in the trade, but he wasn't the target so much as a trivial throw-in on the Saints' part that offers the 49ers decent depth at the position. Greenlaw has been fairly consistently promising in his 983 defensive snaps to this point, accumulating 127 tackles (91 solo), two sacks and one interception. That includes 35 tackles and one sack on 253 snaps in 2020, which would generally project for around 140 tackles in a typical 16-game season. With the San Francisco offense a little less stable than it was in 2019, it's left some new slack for the 49ers defense, which has led to healthy tackle production for both Greenlaw and fellow starting inside linebacker Fred Warner.
Stephon Tuitt, (3-4) DE, PIT
Tuitt had gone most of his seven-year Pittsburgh career known more for occupying space on the interior Steelers defensive line than for creating space, but that story has changed so far in 2020. Through 360 snaps in seven games Tuitt has 25 tackles and six sacks, leaving him just shy of his career-high 6.5 sacks from 2015, which was accumulated over 872 snaps. With more than 500 snaps to go compared to that year, he'll almost certainly breeze past that 6.5 in the upcoming weeks. Tuitt was often injured earlier in his career, which might have delayed his breakout somewhat, and he otherwise had nine sacks on his prior 973 snaps going into this year, so maybe this new, disruptive version of Tuitt is here to stay.
Romeo Okwara, DE, DET
Okwara didn't really have the look of a future standout going into this year, but his production has been so strong lately that it's safe to call him one of the league's better edge defenders through the near halfway point. With five sacks on 290 snaps, it would seem the 25-year-old end either turned a corner as a pass rusher or is due for some regression in his pass-rushing production soon. In the meantime at least one thing is certain: Okwara will play a three-down role, both because he likely would generally but also because lead DE Trey Flowers will miss at least three weeks.
Alton Robinson, DE, SEA
Although he's only a rookie fifth-round pick out of Syracuse, Robinson seems like a realistic candidate to provide potential DL2 utility in the upcoming weeks. Damontre Moore is suspended for six weeks, and Robinson was arguably due for a promotion anyway since previously penciled-in DE1 Benson Mayowa just isn't getting it done this year. With Moore leaving a weekly 20-to-30 snap void and Mayowa's role potentially up for review after totaling just 15 tackles and two sacks on 344 snaps, there might be room for both Robinson and newly-acquired trade item Carlos Dunlap to step into starter-like workloads even as Rasheem Greene eventually returns from injury.
FALLING
Anthony Walker, LB, IND
All of the Colts' top three linebackers were healthy in Week 8, for the first time since Week 4, when Darius Leonard got hurt. Both Walker and Bobby Okereke were productive as three-down players in Leonard's absence, but when Leonard returned Sunday it was Walker who played as the LB3. Okereke went on to total seven tackles on 48 snaps while Walker played only 26 snaps, making one tackle. As long as Leonard and Okereke are both healthy it will be borderline impossible for Walker to offer anything more than LB3 utility as an IDP.
Robert Spillane/Avery Williamson/Vince Williams, (3-4) ILB, PIT
Spillane and Williams were set to both play three-down roles in light of the season-ending injury suffered by Devin Bush, but the Pittsburgh run defense suffered against the Ravens and the Steelers quickly anticipated those issues, which led them to look to the Jets for a Williamson trade. The Jets and Steelers were able to agree on a deal and Williamson was sent to the Steelers, potentially screwing up what initially looked like a strong IDP setup for both Spillane and Williams. Rather than one or two of these linebackers emerging as a standout IDP option, we might have a rotation here that reduces all three players to fringe IDP utility. Williams and Williamson are limited in coverage while Spillane is probably limited against the run, so a platoon could be the outcome here. Williams is the best pass rusher of the three, for what it's worth.
Ryan Neal, S, SEA
Neal has been a useful IDP in the place of the injured Jamaal Adams (groin), but Adams is expected back for Week 9. which will likely send Neal to the bench. Neal turned his 335 defensive snaps into 32 tackles and two interceptions, indicating long-term IDP potential if a three-down role should find him, but it's hard to see how the snaps are there in Seattle if both Adams and Quandre Diggs are available. Neal has a cornerback-like frame/athleticism combination, so it wouldn't be surprising if he were to pop up there in the future as a cornerback-safety swing defender.
