The Packers cut defensive tackle Christian Ringo to make room for Dial, swapping a player with better pass-rush ability for one with better run-stopping ability. Since cutting the troubled Guion on Aug. 8, the Packers never really found someone capable of backing up starter Kenny Clark at nose tackle.
Last year, Guion played 448 regular-season plays, which accounted for 43.5 percent of the defensive snaps. Clark played 333 or 32 percent. This year, Clark is expected to play at least the number of snaps Guion did at nose tackle and maybe a few as a third-down inside rusher if he shows pass-rush improvement.
Dial mostly played end in the 49ers’ 3-4 defense, but he did play some nose tackle and the Packers think he has the ability to play nose or three-technique in their nickel defense. He was filling in at the nose position with the 49ers this summer before being released.
Before adding Dial, the Packers were planning on using a combination of Jean Francois, Mike Daniels and Dean Lowry to back up Clark, but Dial gives them a better option. The Packers’ run defense would have been in big trouble if Clark had gotten hurt, given none of the other three are versed in playing over the center.
packersnews.com wrote:
This article pretty much agree with what Barfarn said above... but I'm confused as hell by this... why are they building up Dial limited experiences at NT and completely dismissing Jean Francois experiences at NT?
I can't find video of Dial playing the zero tech NT position, more video has him at 3-4 DE like the article said... and when the 49ers went to the 4-3, they moved Dial to NT and he failed to make the roster. Combined that with, I've easily (and semi accidentally) found video of Ricky Jean Francois playing NT for the 49ers from years ago and
the 49ers listed him as a NT Jean Francois is #95; back-up NT for the dominant 49ers defenses, can be seen at 0:25 and 1:50
In recent years Jean Francois has been mainly playing DT/DE but he has played back-up NT full time while with the 49ers, which to my (very limited) knowledge Dial has never done. To say Francois isn't versed in it and dismissing him in comparisons to Dial seems a tad insulting to me.
That being said, I'm sure we'll see Dial lined up in the middle some, because Capers likes those long arms blocking passing lanes up the middle, just like we saw Peppers there... and Dial is probably better against the run. But Jean Francois and Dial are both very versatile in where they can line up across the DL.
The Packers had the option of filling the backup nose tackle position with Brian Price, but when Dial was released they saw a better, more experienced option. The Packers kept Ringo over Price in the cut to 53, but probably will now try to get Ringo onto the practice squad.
packersnews.com wrote:
IMO this part is BS. Even
IF Dial was released well before they made their releases and
IF Price was the #2 NT (which I question both), then part implies they were gambling, that they didn't care about losing their back-up NT, because they
KNEW Dial would be signing with them over any of the other 30 NFL teams.
Doesn't it make much more sense, that Price was the 3rd NT, and they kept Ringo because he played better than Price... releasing Price, and then saw Dial was released and liked him more than Ringo? Because now both Francois and Dial can back-up the entire interior DL from 0 tech to 5 tech and takes pressure off a recovering rookie Montravius Adams to learn multiple positions and let him focus on his strength (pass rush up the middle, especially from the 3 tech)