The San Francisco 49ers secured the Week 4 win over the Denver Broncos on Oct. 4 to move to 4-0. However, the Niners’ pass rush remains an area of concern without Nick Bosa, as San Francisco didn’t sack Broncos QB Bo Nix.
Bosa is currently dealing with a calf injury and will return at some point, but the 49ers don’t have much in terms of a threat at his level that opposing teams should worry about.
As a result, with the trade deadline a little over a month away on Nov. 10, the trade speculation and rumors are beginning to emerge as there are teams that are 0-4 needing to make decisions on whether to open up shop and sell off veteran players for draft assets.
One of these 0-4 teams is the Los Angeles Chargers, and there’s trade speculation regarding veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack. With the Chargers likely being sellers, Jose Sanchez of San Francisco 49ers on SI is urging the Niners to pull off a trade for the nine-time Pro Bowler.
“Their pass rush is almost as nonexistent as it was last season,” Sanchez wrote in an Oct. 6 article. “That’s going to remain with Nick Bosa out, which should coerce the 49ers into making a trade. And the trade to execute is for Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
“John Lynch has to be working the phones with the Chargers to see if they can broker a deal. It’s time. Their performance against the Broncos should’ve been enough to convince them how bad it is. The week before, against the Arizona Cardinals, it was the same as well.
What Would Chargers’ Khalil Mack Cost the 49ers?
Despite being 35, Mack continues to produce with three sacks, 14 tackles, five tackles for loss, and five QB hits through four games, per Pro-Football-Reference. Moreover, Mack is on a one-year contract, so there’s no long-term commitment for the Niners to have past this season if they don’t want to use any future cap space on a veteran edge rusher.
Now, as for what it would cost for the Niners to land Mack, Sanchez believes it will likely need to be a Day 2 draft pick.
“A third-round pick would be an easy one to give up, but I’m not sure if that will be sufficient for the Chargers,” Sanchez added in his article. “Given how great the 49ers look, their draft picks will be near the end of every round.
“A first-round pick is out of the question, so the 49ers will have to offer their second-rounder. It’s a bit steep for a half-season rental, but Mack will drastically boost their defense.”
Niners Urged to Pursue Buccaneers’ Vita Vea
Meanwhile, former 49ers CB Richard Sherman believes that the Niners’ general manager, John Lynch, needs to be on the phone with another 0-4 team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, about veteran defensive lineman Vita Vea.
“As they continue to get healthier, there are guys out there,” Sherman said in an Oct. 5 video from “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “The Buccaneers are now 0-4. So Vita Vea is from down the street. He’s from six miles from Levi’s Stadium.
“So if I’m John Lynch, I’m calling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and saying, ‘Hey, he was disgruntled before. You guys weren’t sellers. You’re 0-4 right now. Are you sellers or not? What is the price?’ If the price isn’t above a third-rounder, then I think you’ve got to make that move.”
49ers Urged to Pursue 9-Time Pro Bowl Edge With Nick Bosa Injured