Ah, the trade deadline. It’s a familiar spot for these San Francisco 49ers to make mid-season upgrades. They’ve been mostly sharp.
2019: Traded 2020 third- and fourth-round picks for Emmanuel Sanders and 2020 fifth-round pick
2020: Acquired Jordan Willis for late-round pick swap with Jets, traded away Kwon Alexander for Kiko Alonso and the fifth-rounder that became Deommodore Lenoir
2021: Acquired Charles Omenihu from Texans for a sixth-round pick (which, oddly enough, became Anders Carlson)
2022: Traded 2023 second-, third- and fourth-round picks and 2024 fifth-round pick for Christian McCaffrey. Traded away Jeff Wilson Jr. for a fifth round-pick that became Darrell Luter Jr.
2023: Traded 2024 third-round pick (became Luke McCaffrey) for Chase Young. Also traded a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick and Randy Gregory in early October.
If they stand pat, it would be the first time since 2018 that was the case. This team has built a reputation for turning around tepid starts to the season. They doubled down to start this one. The deadline might be an indication of how much they believe this team to be capable of pulling off something similar.
That said, it’s a team that is only hanging on because of the stellar quality of its rookie class, and which is simultaneously suffering because of the Trey Lance trade and whiffs especially in 2022, but also in 2021 and 2023.
If you’re the 49ers, you have full control of all of your picks, except for a seventh-round pick swap with the Panthers. That’s with another third-round pick coming for DeMeco Ryans and Ran Carthon’s hirings, a likely fourth for Chase Young going to the Saints, and a possible pair of sevenths for Clelin Ferrell and Ray-Ray McCloud’s departures.
That’s a pretty substantial roster of picks. This is a team that could clearly use upgrades immediately, but which also might not be a real contender. That’s largely dependent on Christian McCaffrey’s health… and maybe Dre Greenlaw’s?
All that said, the 49ers might be a bit cautious about doubling down again if the right deal isn’t there. They have, in my view, three clear positions possibly worth upgrading: defensive tackle, linebacker and wide receiver.
Linebacker
Linebacker is probably the trickiest spot to try and upgrade. There aren’t a ton of teams willing to give you a decent linebacker for cheap. Ernest Jones just went to Seattle (dealt the second time this season) for Jerome Baker and a fourth-round pick. San Francisco might not think the juice is worth the squeeze there. De’Vondre Campbell is coming off his best game (scar tissue breaking down as the season goes?) and if Greenlaw is less than a month away, is it worth adding someone?
Given that Greenlaw is coming off an Achilles tear and should not be expected to be anywhere near where he once was, and Campbell has been otherwise poor, linebacker should still be a spot to look at, especially with Dee Winters suffering a concussion.
Do you try and pick up a fringe, underused linebacker you like from a struggling team? Does the Bengals’ Akeem Davis-Gaither interest you? (No.) How about Jamien Sherwood, the Jets’ third-string linebacker (and an expiring contract) who worked with Robert Saleh this season?
Linebacker is a tricky spot to try and find an upgrade at this point in the season, but there’s no understating how valuable even a decent, rangy WILL would be for this defense.
Defensive tackle
Jeremiah Ledbetter, Jacksonville Jaguars
This is the No. 1 name on the list. Ledbetter isn't a household name, but he is everything the 49ers are not, or have lacked. He is a gap-plugging, space-eating, no-nonsense defensive tackle who will do the thing you ask him to do. And the thing you will ask him to do is hold up against double team blocks and stand firm in the run game. He will do that.
Just as importantly, he’s in the perfect situation for the 49ers to attack. He’s 30, not a prospect a young team would covet. He’s on a terrible, 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars team. And he’s cheap, both contract wise and (likely) compensation wise. He’s got a $1.85 million contract that would prorate to roughly half of that figure for the rest of the season.
The 49ers are already using Sam Okuayinonu as their 3-technique in pass rush downs. They need a nose tackle, something they conspicuously failed to address this offseason. Yes, Jordan Elliott is massive. No, he’s not a reliable run defender. He gets out-leveraged and moved around all too frequently. For a team with a clear weakness — vulnerability on runs up the middle — this is a clear, affordable answer. A late-round pick swap (a sixth for a seventh?) or a seventh alone could maybe get this done unless Trent Baalke is against doing business with his former employer.
Shelby Harris, Cleveland Browns
Plenty of folks have suggested the 49ers go after another Browns defensive tackle, Maurice Hurst, who had a pair of injury-riddled seasons with the 49ers before a resurgence in Cleveland. Hurst has more juice than the 33-year-old Harris, and would no doubt help the ailing group, especially with Kevin Givens hurt. But Harris offers more straightforwardly what the 49ers need. Hurst is not a clear positive in the run game. That’s not saying Hurst would be a poor addition, but an early-down run defender seems a more pressing need. Harris, if available, should be cheap-ish to acquire. He and Hurst would both cost less than $700,000 each for the rest of the season.
Davon Godchaux, New England Patriots
If the 49ers want a more well-known name, Godchaux is an option. But he won’t be nearly as cheap as some of the other names here. He’s locked up on a three-year contract, and if the Patriots trade him, they’ll have to eat about $6.7 million in dead cap for next season. He’ll cost about half of his $1.65 million salary this season, with $4 million fully guaranteed next year. The point is, the Patriots would need a decent pick to make it worth their while. Maybe a fourth? A fifth? For a nose tackle, he’s been an underwhelming at best run defender with questionable effort and limited pass rush effectiveness. He’s here because he’s been mentioned, but there are much better options, in my view.
Other names that are worth considering: DaVon Hamilton (Jacksonville), D.J. Jones (Denver, probably not going to trade him), B.J. Hill (Cincinnati, outstanding, but even with the Bengals' poor season, he's probably not on the market and would be plenty of dead money for the Bengals. If he can be got for a fourth, a third-round swap or less, go get him). The 49ers also tried with Sebastian Joseph-Day (now on the Titans) last season, but he didn’t move the needle.
Wide receivers
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots
Bourne is an obvious name. He earned himself a three-year, $33 million deal with the Patriots before tearing his ACL, and is still working back from that injury. But signs are there on tape that he’s moving well. New England is going nowhere, though, and drafted two rookie receivers, the better of whom, Javon Baker, is not on the field. How's that going for them?
The 49ers could absolutely afford Bourne at a $1.3 million salary, prorated to roughly half of that. You also can’t find just any reasonably-priced receiver who (mostly) knows your system and style of operation. The question is what New England would want from him. You’d be acquiring a fourth wide receiver, someone as part of the rotation. If you’re giving up even a fifth-round pick for that, the juice might not be worth the squeeze. But Bourne is as known a commodity as you can find if you're San Francisco, and that's valuable.
Mike Williams, Jets
The Jets have to sell. And after acquiring Davante Adams, receiver is an obvious spot. Mike Williams hasn’t had a memorable season, but he’s a veteran with huge size and the ability to attack contested catches and win. The Jets might want more than he’s worth to acquire him, but if you’re looking for a fourth wide receiver and a veteran option on the outside, it’s hard to do any better for what shouldn’t be a wallet-bursting trade price.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine OR Tyler Boyd, Titans
The Titans are cooked. They’ve got two veteran, tradable receivers in Westbrook-Ikhine and Boyd. Westbrook-Ikhine is larger, with more of a physical presence that lines up with the 49ers’ run blocking identity. Boyd has better movement skills, especially laterally, though he’s largely been a slot receiver for most of his career.
Westbrook-Ikhine has some speed and length to him, but he doesn’t snap off at the top of his routes in a way that’s encouraging if teams keep throwing man coverage at the 49ers. He is physical enough to beat press on shorter to intermediate routes, but the Titans have been sending him on go balls seemingly all season. If the 49ers want an extra body on the outside, he’s a reasonable, experienced option for a late-round pick. This isn’t an upgrade, but it would be decent depth at WR4 at no more than a seventh-round pick.
Ideal approach
If you're the 49ers, here's what's on the table. There aren't many viable players they could trade away. Let's assume they only add.
If that is the case, here's the play:
- Trade a seventh-round pick (or another late-round pick swap) for Jaguars DT Jeremiah Ledbetter OR trade a fourth or less for Bengals DT B.J. Hill if he's available
- Trade a sixth-round pick (or a fifth-sixth or fifth-seventh swap) for Kendrick Bourne as your WR4. No one will be an easier fit.
- See if the Jets are willing to move Jamien Sherwood for sixth-round pick or a comparable price.
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