The NFL trade deadline is set for Tuesday at 1:00pm Pacific Time. It would make a lot of sense if the 49ers were active in trying to improve a club that’s now lost three games in a row.
Their addition of pass rusher Randy Gregory looked like it might be the perfect on-the-margins move that could put an uber-talented 49ers club over the top. Since acquiring him in a trade with the Broncos though, San Francisco is 0-3 and its defense hasn’t been able to come up with key stops.
Unfortunately for the 49ers there isn’t one obvious fix. They’re a mess at several spots. It’s unlikely they’re going to wheel and deal to address all of their deficiencies, so they’ll need to prioritize at the deadline. Here’s how we’d lay out those trade market priorities as they enter their Week 9 bye:
1
Cornerback
The 49ers could solve a lot of their current issues with another good CB. Part of the reason their defense is struggling is because their pass rush is consistently a step or a half step late getting to the QB. If their secondary could force a signal caller to hesitate for even another half second it would dramatically alter the effectiveness of the team’s high-priced defensive line. Perhaps there’s a scheme tweak that can help since none of their trio of starting CBs are necessarily bad. If that scheme tweak isn’t apparent to the coaching staff though, they may need to go find help on the trade market.
2
Defensive tackle
If the 49ers can find an effective, run-stopping defensive tackle for relatively cheap they should do it. They’ve struggled to get push inside against the run and it’s making life difficult for everyone else in the front seven. Blockers are getting into the second level and RBs are finding their way into the second level without getting touched far too often. A new DT wouldn’t even need to rush the passer. They’d just need to be in the mix to help keep teams out of second or third-and-short.
3
Offensive line
Trent Williams’ absence has exposed some of the 49ers’ deficiencies on the offensive line. Jaylon Moore has done okay in his stead, but San Francisco’s offensive struggles since Williams went down can largely be attributed to his absence. Adding better depth would be helpful, but so would looking for a potential replacement on the right side. Neither right guard Spencer Burford nor right tackle Colton McKivitz have been stellar in 2023 and finding a better starting option at just one of those spots would be helpful for the entire line.
4
Wide receiver
The 49ers’ Week 8 loss featured 30 throws by quarterback Brock Purdy. Of those 30 throws, 27 went to WR Brandon Aiyuk, TE George Kittle and RB Christian McCaffrey. The other three targets were distributed to WR Ray-Ray McCloud (two, one of which came in garbage time on the final play of the game), and RB Elijah Mitchell (on a broken play that was supposed to be a handoff). It might behoove the 49ers to find another legitimate pass-catching threat to help mitigate potential injuries to either Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. WR Jauan Jennings ran 33 routes with zero targets Sunday, and rookie WR Ronnie Bell hasn’t been a factor since Week 3 when he saw extended action while Aiyuk was out. This distribution problem may be Purdy-related, but it’s easy to see where another good pass catcher would improve San Francisco’s offense.
5
Edge rusher
This one gets pushed down the list because the 49ers are already loaded with pass rushers. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Randy Gregory, Clelin Ferrell and Arik Armstead are all perfectly capable players who just haven’t gotten to the quarterback consistently. Adding another player doesn’t necessarily fix what ails them on the defensive front. That said, more pass rush help is never bad. It wouldn’t be a shock if they made a move in the Jordan Willis or Charles Omenihu vein where they try to maximize an underutilized player from another club who is available for cheap.
