49ers Trade Deadline: Blockbuster Proposal Adds NFL Sack Leader

Getty Danielle Hunter, potential 49ers target at the NFL trade deadline

In the course of the last three weeks, the 49ers position at the NFL trade deadline has gone from luxury-item shopping to critical deal-making. That’s why there’s got to be some hope that the team can pull off a miracle move by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday—this 49ers group needs more help than expected.

With that in mind, should the 49ers not think big? Since the group’s pass-rushing has gotten stagnant in recent weeks, why not pursue the biggest fish among all the sack-happy pass rushers in the NFL?

Yes, we’re talking Vikings star Danielle Hunter, who leads the NFL with 10.0 sacks. He is a free agent after this year, too, which makes him a short-term rental.

Of course, there is some question about whether Hunter will be available on the market at all in the coming hours, because the team has won two straight games and has looked better in doing so. But the loss of quarterback  Kirk Cousins to an Achilles injury could move the Vikings back into seller’s mode before Tuesday.

That’s the hope at the Niners Nation blog, which has Hunter as a potential candidate for a deal.

“Hunter recorded his league-leading ninth sack of the season with a third-quarter sack of Brock Purdy (in Week 7). While the 49ers have plenty of talent on its defensive line, sacks have been an issue for San Francisco, who are tied with three other teams for 17th-most with just 15,” the site wrote.

“The pass rusher will hit free agency at the end of the season, likely making him a rental, but he would provide a much-needed boost for a struggling 49ers pass rush.”

49ers Looking for Defensive Help at NFL Trade Deadline

Certainly, the 49ers are looking at pass rushers via trade ahead of the deadline. That was reported by Diana Russini of The Athletic, who wrote heading into Week 8, “The 49ers are looking to add a few pieces like edge rusher and cornerback. They are working the phones.”

That was before yielding 31 points on their home field in the Bengals loss.

The defense, which started so well for the 49ers, allowing 13.6 points in its first five games when the team was undefeated, has slipped badly. While the offensive struggles have been problematic for the 49ers ahead of the trade deadline, the defense is getting most of the focus.

The 49ers have allowed 24.0 points per game in the last three outings, all losses.

Coach Kyle Shanahan on Sunday was not pointing the finger at any one area.

“This isn’t on any one coach or any one side of the ball. We haven’t scored over 20 points here in three weeks, too,” he said after the game. “So, I think our defense needs to do better. I think our offense needs to do better. I think our team needs to do better. And when I say our team, I mean every single player in there and I mean every single coach.”

Danielle Hunter a 49ers Fit?

Danielle Hunter would be a fascinating fit for the 49ers at the NFL trade deadline. The 49ers acquired Randy Gregory from Denver back before Week 5. His impact has been limited and getting less important. His snap counts have declined each of the last three weeks, from 26 to 21 to just 16 on Sunday in Week 8.

And there has been speculation about Hunter before. Matt Barrows of The Athletic had Hunter as a “pie-in-the-sky” trade option for the 49ers, in a piece he wrote before Gregory’s decline.

“(Hunter has) been the best thing about the Vikings defense,” Barrows wrote. “But as is the case with (Brian) Burns, the 49ers already may have found their extra pass rusher in Gregory. There also may be more motivated teams to acquire Hunter like the Lions.”

Much has changed ahead of the NFL trade deadline for the 49ers, though. Stay tuned.