The San Francisco 49ers aren’t afraid to roll the dice on players who have dealt with injuries recently. This offseason, the Niners brought back Dre Greenlaw, who dealt with injuries during his one season with the Denver Broncos, and signed veteran wideouts Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.
Like Greenlaw, Evans dealt with injuries last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Kirk also had injury problems in the previous campaign with the Houston Texans.
Nonetheless, could San Francisco pursue another player with an injury-plagued 2025 season? In a May 16 article for FanSided, Jake Beckman listed one player each NFL team should consider trading for now that free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft are part of the offseason calendar.
Regarding the Niners, Beckman believes the team could bolster its safety position by pursuing Texans safety M.J. Stewart, whose 2025 season ended due to a torn quadriceps injury.
“Aside from a lack of championships, the one thing the Kyle Shanahan 49ers will be known for is a grotesque amount of injuries,” Beckman wrote. “Last year, the defensive injuries absolutely derailed their season. They can’t have that happen again. Right now, they have a lot of depth at safety, but it’s not great depth.
“M.J. Stewart is sitting behind Reed Blankenship and Calen Bullock on the Texans’ depth chart, and they just drafted Kamari Ramsey in the fifth round. He’s a 30-year-old, and he’s coming off a big-time quad injury, but if he can still play, he’d be a solid addition to a perpetually injured team.”
49ers Receive Another Potential Safety Trade Target
The safety position for the 49ers has been a talking point over the last few days. Recently, Dave Lombardi, who covers the Niners for the SF Standard, floated a potential in-season trade target to improve the team’s safety position.
Lombardi believes that the 49ers should consider pursuing Jessie Bates III, who played under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris during his time as the Atlanta Falcons‘ head coach.
“There’s perpetual chatter about the 49ers’ recent shortcomings at safety,” Lombardi wrote in a May 13 article. “But keep this in mind: Safety production is strongly correlated with a team’s pass rush, and the 49ers finished with a league-low 20 sacks in 2025. There’s a reason they’ve redone nearly all of their D-line over the past 14 months.
“Missed tackles have been an issue for safeties outside of Sigle (who, in turn, suffered through major issues in coverage), but they should see better opportunities to succeed in 2026. And perhaps an in-season trade for a former Morris safety might be in the cards. Jessie Bates III, anyone?”
Niners Safety Ji’Ayir Brown Gets Called Out
Meanwhile, the other topic surrounding the 49ers’ safety position concerns Ji’Ayir Brown, after former Niners player Donte Whitner didn’t hold back his criticism. The ex-NFL player revealed that Brown contacted him and former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman to tone down the criticism of his play. Nonetheless, Whitner won’t be doing that.
“If you play like s— and I analyze it, I’m going to continue to analyze it that way,” Whitner said in a May 12 video from the “Grit Code Podcast.” “When you play well, I’m not going to be biased. I’m going to give you all the praise in the world. When you play like s—, I’m going to tell you that you played like s—.
“And guess what? I made three Pro Bowls at your position. I’m considered an expert. I have the right to criticize and analyze your game, buddy. So when you don’t perform up to standard, I’m going to speak on it. But if you listen to Hitner, who’s an expert at your position, you will get better.”
49ers Hit With Intriguing Message Involving Texans’ M.J. Stewart