The major concern regarding the San Francisco 49ers is whether they have the pass rush to be a threat to the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West division title.
San Francisco has Nick Bosa back, although he’s dealt with tendinitis during training camp and the preseason. Still, he’ll likely be ready for Week 1 against the Rams in Australia.
Moreover, the Niners drafted Romello Height and expect Mykel Williams to return from injury at some point this season. Nonetheless, for KNBR’s Larry Krueger, the 49ers should be looking to trade for a pass rusher between now and the start of Week 1.
Furthermore, Krueger revealed one name the Niners need to call to ensure they can get him before the team travels to Australia.
“They need one more [pass rusher],” Krueger said on the Aug. 28 edition of “49ers Collective.” “You’ve got five edge rushers, Bosa, Sam Okuayinonu, Keion White, Romello Height and Ogbo Okoronkwo, right now, but I think you probably need one more big-time rusher.
“I think they ought to make a big play for Josh Sweat. I think they should be calling [Arizona Cardinals general manager] Monti Ossenfort every day, all day, saying, you want Kurtis Rourke? You want Alfred Collins? You want 2027 draft capital? Let’s talk.”
Last season, Sweat played 540 defensive snaps for the Cardinals, leading to a 74.2 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he generated 47 total pressures, 12 sacks, 29 hurries, and six QB hits. Sweat also registered three forced fumbles, 20 stops, and 11 solo tackles.
49ers Secondary Could Suffer With Limited Pas Rush
Krueger also noted that if the 49ers can’t improve their pass rush from last season, which tallied only 20 team sacks, the Niners’ secondary could be the one to suffer.
“[The 49ers’ secondary] are all really young. You want to see young DBs lose their confidence, go out there and have another year where you have absolutely no pass rush or where you’re gonna be like, Nick, you win, or otherwise [defensive coordinator Raheem Morris], you scheme it all together,“ Krueger added. “They have to go and get themselves another edge rusher that’s better than what they got.”
Sweat would take the pressure off Bosa to get to the quarterback, so it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals would consider trading within the division despite being in a rebuild.
Niners Get Major Aaron Donald Prediction for Week 1
Speaking of the Week 1 game against the Rams, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah made a prediction about Aaron Donald that would bode well for the 49ers, as the veteran defensive tackle is gearing up to see if he’ll play in the 2026 season.
“What’s the rush?“ Jeremiah said on the Aug. 24 edition of “The Dan Patrick Show.” “You’re not bringing in Aaron Donald to see if you can win a game in Australia. Hey, [the Rams] need [Donald] for December and January and beyond, maybe [he goes to Australia for the game against the 49ers] to do some snorkeling.
“I don’t think he plays in that game. Maybe he signs before then. I don’t think so. If it was me, if I’m Les Snead looking at this thing, going, like, don’t even think about 17 games.”
49ers Handed Clear Message on Cardinals’ Josh Sweat Before Week 1