When San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Keion White plays against the Falcons on Sunday it will be four days shy of the one-year anniversary of his trade from the Patriots.
Does it feel like he was dealt 12 months ago?
"It feels like a lifetime ago," White said.
It feels safe to say this: The NFL life White is living now is better than the one he left behind.
With a team-high 3.5 sacks during a 6-0 start, White is the biggest reason the 49ers defensive line has harassed quarterbacks despite playing the past four games without Nick Bosa. Last year, the 49ers' front four was anemic after their All-Pro pass rusher suffered a torn ACL in Week 3. The defense finished with an NFL-worst 20 sacks.
This season, the 49ers already have 15 sacks - tied for the 12th most in the NFL - and are on pace for 43. The 49ers have nine sacks in their last two games and have had consecutive games with at least four sacks for the first time since 2023.
"In the beginning of the year, everybody was kind of writing us off, ‘Oh, they're not getting any sacks,'" White said. "But they weren't seeing that we were getting a lot of pressures. And now these pressures are starting to turn into sacks and we're getting a little recognition."
A year ago, White, 27, was widely recognized as a disappointment. A 2023 second-round pick, he was inactive, a healthy scratch, in his last game for the Patriots in Week 8 last year. Two days later, New England traded him to the 49ers for a swap of late-round 2026 draft picks.
The deal was another bit of upheaval for White, who had played for three head coaches in his two-plus years in New England. He was drafted by Bill Belichick, then in his 24th season with the Patriots.
"Bill was there for a million years," White said. "So I said, ‘At least I know who my coach is going to be. I know what the system is going to be. OK, he's going to be an ass, but at least he's a consistent ass.' And then, he was gone."
Still, White had a career-best five sacks in 2024 while playing both defensive tackle and defensive end. After the Patriots hired head coach Mike Vrabel in 2025, he became a stand-up outside linebacker. He didn't have a sack or QB hit in five games before he was traded.
"That's how the league goes," White said. "You get new guys in and they want something done a different way."
His 12 months with the 49ers haven't been without adversity. In February, White was shot in the ankle at a San Francisco nightclub during a private Super Bowl party he was hosting. Four men were arrested in connection with the shooting last week. White required surgery and was sidelined until he made his training camp debut on Aug. 25.
On the field, White has welcomed his new team's approach, with the 49ers asking him to reprise the inside/outside role he had in 2024. White has played 183 snaps at defensive end, and 54 at defensive tackle. Last week, he combined with rookie pass rusher Romello Height for a walk-off sack in a 23-17 win against the Commanders.
A year after he was sent packing, he's sealing victories.
"Finishing a game," White said, "there's nothing like it."
Battling Bijan: Linebacker Fred Warner broke his ankle in Week 6 last year. The next week: The 49ers hosted the Falcons and Bijan Robinson.
"I was looking forward to that matchup," Warner said.
The first meeting between the All-Pro linebacker and the All-Pro running back will take place Sunday. Robinson, 24, a dual-purpose threat, leads the NFL with 785 yards from scrimmage. Last season, he had a league-best 2,298 scrimmage yards, the 12th most in NFL history.
Where does Robinson rank Warner among linebackers?
"He's the best," Robinson said. "No one is better than him at his position."
Even without Warner on the field, Robinson wasn't at his best against the 49ers last season. He was limited to 92 total yards, his fourth-fewest of the season, and averaged 2.9 yards on 14 carries.
Asked this week about the most elusive running back he's faced, Warner named Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs. It's possible his answer could change after meeting Robinson on Sunday.
"He's obviously one of the best in the league," Warner said. "I've got a lot of respect for him. His ability to affect the run and the pass game is a huge problem."
Few know Robinson better than Niners defensive coordinator Raheem Morris (and former Falcons head coach), who on Thursday called Robinson "arguably the best player in the National Football League." Morris has compared Robinson to Christian McCaffrey, because of their unique abilities to impact the run and pass game.
"He's one of those guys that can take this league by storm and do really special things," Morris said. "He's going to present a big-time challenge for us this week, and we got to go out there and accept it."
Raheem's revenge?
Atlanta fired Morris in January after he turned in a pair of 8-9 seasons as head coach. He took a diplomatic approach Thursday when asked about his former team, and was was complimentary of Falcons 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., who has battled a plethora of injuries over his first two-plus NFL seasons.
"Loved the kid," Morris said of Penix, who missed the Falcons' first two games this season while recovering from a torn ACL, but has since helped stabilize Atlanta's offense. "Loved everything about him, the personality, who he was, the thrower.
"Unfortunately, he had some injury history. … Now he's ready to go. He's back healthy, and he's probably in everything that you thought and hoped for."
Beyond Penix, Morris will have a leg up in game planning for all of his former players: "It's always helpful to know who people are," he said.
While he might use his firing as internal motivation on Sunday, Morris has made it clear he doesn't hold any grudges. The 50-year-old appears to be at peace in his current role. He scoffed at a question last week when asked if he has any desire to one day become a head coach again.
"We have somewhere in society been screwed up, right?" Morris said as he took a swig of water, a grin on his face. "We have got this illusion in our head that everybody's a head coach. Guys, there are 32 head coaches in the National Football League. There are 32 defensive coordinators, and there are 32 offensive coordinators and there's 32 of everything we do.
"We are blessed, and you can't have a better job than all of us."
Receivers update:
When Evans exited late in the first half against the Washington Commanders on Monday night, San Francisco's remaining active wide receivers did a disappearing act. Will that happen again Sunday?
Niners offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak expressed confidence in recently signed veteran Brandin Cooks, second-year speedster Jordan Watkins and slot receiver Christian Kirk, who could make his season debut after battling a calf injury.
"Guys got to step up," Kubiak said Thursday. "It's a big moment for those guys if Mike's not able to go."
Brock Purdy rarely looked for Cooks and Watkins against Washington, even after Evans' exit, earning one target between them. That's why Kirk, despite limited practice reps and no game time, could immediately step in as Purdy's top WR target on Sunday. Kirk feels confident in his and Purdy's rapport, especially because San Francisco's offense is heavily predicated on "timing and steps and landmarks" rather than player improvisation.
"(That) makes it a little easier when it comes to not having that many reps," Kirk said Thursday. "It's just being where I'm supposed to be at the right time and being a friendly target."
Kubiak said of Kirk, "He's a guy who's been preparing mentally, so it's been impressive to see him step in and just be really sharp on the details, just from the mental side of playing the position."
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at 49ers face Falcons riding sack surge, Raheem Morris happily scheming vs. former team.