Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

It's shaping up as a clean slate for Aaron Lynch and the Niners

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Soon after taking over their new roles in charge of the San Francisco 49ers, general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan let it be known to the returning players that nothing that had happened before their arrival would matter much.

On the one hand, that could be bad news for incumbent starters who would no longer have a tight grip on their jobs. But for players like defensive end Aaron Lynch, it was an open invitation to discard a rough 2016 and begin anew.

"Basically, it’s a new, clean slate for me and basically everybody on this team, no matter what has happened before you came into the league or when you’ve been in the league," Aaron Lynch said. "They’re not holding that against you, and I need to do everything I can to make sure that I have a clean slate with them."

Lynch's three-year tenure with the Niners has been marked by tantalizing flashes of ability to get after quarterbacks and a series of miscues off the field. Those extremes have left some to wonder where Lynch stands with the team and even spurred speculation that he might not make the 53-man roster.

On Tuesday, Lynch spoke to Bay Area media for the first time this offseason and made it known that while he's aware of what's been said about him, his primary focus is on doing the things Shanahan and his coaching staff want and expect. In Lynch's case, that means doing whatever's necessary to turn those random flashes into consistent production.

That starts with managing his weight, an issue that plagued him last year as he was waiting out a four-game suspension for violation of the league's policy on substance abuse. When he returned to the team, he found himself working to shed the extra 30 pounds he said he gained from sympathy eating along with his then-pregnant wife. Lynch was close to 300 pounds upon his return, and though he got back down closer to 270 pounds, he didn't produce much when he got on the field.

In addition to the suspension, Lynch missed the final five games because of an ankle injury, finishing the season with just 1.5 sacks and 13 tackles. After posting 61 tackles and 12.5 sacks in his first two seasons, it was undoubtedly a disappointing season for Lynch, who found his commitment to the game being questioned.

"I mean, I was committed but obviously there was some off-field issues, getting suspended and then getting hurt. So I don’t think my mind was in the right place, as far as how the season was going," Lynch said. "I wouldn’t say I wasn’t committed. It’s however you all want to take it. I’m working my [butt] off right now to get down to where I need to get. I’m trying to do everything they want me to do."

What the Niners want him to do now is to trim down again. By his own admission, Lynch arrived for the offseason program overweight.

Lynch attributed the weight gain to not taking his diet as seriously as he could. He said he spent the offseason going out to eat and not getting enough vegetables and lean meats. He said Tuesday his weight is current in the 280s and his goal is to get down in the 260- to 270-pound range.

There's still a lot of work to do in the offseason program, but so far, Shanahan has been pleased with what he's seen from Lynch.

"There’s no doubt Aaron’s going in the right direction for us," Shanahan said. "He came in in the offseason; we challenged him hard with just the way we worked and stuff. He hasn’t shied away from any of it. He’s jumped in on all of our stuff. I believe he only missed one day of the offseason workouts.

"So, he’s gotten better each day. He’s gotten more in shape each day, and I’m seeing it on the field each day."

The other big shift for Lynch this offseason is adjusting to a new position. After playing defensive end in college, he transitioned to outside linebacker when he arrived in the NFL. Now, in new coordinator Robert Saleh's 4-3 defense, Lynch is converting to the "Leo" defensive end spot. It's the position generally reserved for the best pure pass rusher on the team.

As it stands, Lynch is working behind Arik Armstead at that spot, but that doesn't mean he won't have a chance to earn plenty of snaps. Saleh's one-gap defense allows players like Lynch to attack more, something he embraces. To that end, Saleh has been showing his defense video of similar defenses in Seattle, Denver and Jacksonville. Lynch has paid particularly close attention to players like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Cliff Avril as examples of what he could become.

If Lynch can get to where the Niners want him to be, he could play an integral role.

"They want me to be a pass rusher. They want me to set the edge," Lynch said. "They need that out of me, so I can give that for them. And I need to do it for myself."

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