It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the San Francisco 49ers get active to improve their defensive line at the NFL trade deadline.
They clearly need help along the front and there are a handful of enticing names being floated around in the pre-deadline rumor mill. ESPN’s Dan Graziano doesn’t foresee the 49ers landing one of the big fish available at that spot though. Instead, he offers a less-inspiring idea where San Francisco acquires defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New England Patriots.
This is not to say Godchaux isn’t a good player. He is. The 29-year-old has been in the NFL since the Miami Dolphins selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.
He has never been to a Pro Bowl and he has only posted 5.5 sacks with 94 pressures in 111 games (100 starts). However, he’s a capable run defender who would give the 49ers some rotational depth alongside Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens and Kalia Davis.
On the other hand, another rotational defensive tackle doesn’t move the needle much for the 49ers.
They need more pass rush help and would ideally be making a move for a player who has a three-down impact. San Francisco is trying to win a Super Bowl and defensive tackle help would be nice, but it’s not going to help much if it’s not creating disruption for opposing quarterbacks.
If the 49ers are making a play to add Godchaux, it can’t be the only move they make if they’re trying to execute a trade that dramatically increases their chances to win a championship.
