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The San Fransisco 49ers already boast the top defense in the NFL after four games, but general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are clearly focused on winning a Super Bowl in 2023.
On Friday, October 6, NFL insider Tom Pelissero announced San Francisco acquired veteran pass rusher Randy Gregory in a trade with the Denver Broncos, despite earlier reports this week stating Denver was releasing the linebacker.
“Plot twist! ” Pelissero reported on the X social media platform on Friday afternoon. “The #Broncos are trading veteran OLB Randy Gregory to the #49ers, per sources. Denver never formally released Gregory, who now gets a fresh start with a contender in San Francisco.”
Randy Gregory Move Is All Upside for 49ers
While the compensation the San Francisco 49ers gave up for Gregory hasn’t been revealed yet, it’s hard to believe Lynch and company gave up much for a player Denver admitted had been trying to trade but couldn’t, before announcing he would be released earlier this week.
For Lynch, Shanahan and the 49ers coaching staff, there’s really no risk in the move with the potential for another major piece to an already dominant defense if they can get Gregory to perform at his peak.
Gregory inked a five-year, $70 million contract with the Broncos in March 2022. He played in just six games with the Broncos last season due to injury and a one-game suspension for a post-match fight. In four games in 2023, Gregory has generated one sack and nine tackles. In 10 outings with Denver, the veteran recorded three sacks and 21 tackles.
While his numbers this season haven’t been eye-popping, Gregory has proven he can be a game-wrecker in the right situation. After struggling in his first two years in Dallas, the former second-round pick closed out his final three seasons with the Cowboys with 16.5 sacks and was nearly re-signed due to his production but a miscommunication over his new contract landed him in Denver.
As 49ers reporter David Lombardi of The Athletic pointed out, this is essentially a win-win move for the San Francisco brass.
“The 49ers are paying Randy Gregory only $840,000 guaranteed and they have 4 seasons over team control now — through 2026,” Lombardi tweeted on X. “This is a flier trade and that’s value. If Gregory plays well alongside Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave under Kris Kocurek, the 49ers will have some real option power after this season.”
Randy Gregory Set up for Success in San Francisco
While this move isn’t quite comparable to last year’s mid-season trade for Christan McCaffrey, it’s clear Lynch and company can identify talent and are making this trade for a reason.
So far, the 49ers have nine sacks on the year, with second-year defensive end Drake Jackson and defensive linemen Javon Hargrave leading the charge with three each. Anyone with a pulse on the NFL understands Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are two of the top defenders in the NFL, and while they have both been disruptive after the first quarter of the 2023 season, they have each only recorded one sack.
If history is any indication, Gregory is at his best surrounded by talent. In his 50 games with Dallas, he racked up 16.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and eight forced fumbles. While he played linebacker in Denver, the versatile defender often lined up at defensive end during his tenure with the Cowboys.
It will be interesting to see how Lynch, Shanahan and 49ers defensive coordinator use Gregory, with a bevy of talent at their disposal to cause havoc for opposing offenses. Best case? He gets a fresh start with an already dominant defense and becomes just another headache for opposing offensive coordinators to have to game plan for. He’s shown elite ability in the past, and while his stats haven’t been eye-popping in Denver after four games this season, it’s clear the 30-year-old is healthy and still productive.
Worst case? Gregory doesn’t deliver and the 49ers lean on the pieces they have in place that have them ranked as the top defense in the NFL.
This feels like a move that fans, talking heads and executives could look back on when the playoffs roll around as another brilliant transaction made by Lynch and Shanahan to help propel the 49ers to accomplishing their goal of winning a Super Bowl this year.
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