The San Francisco 49ers generated plenty of buzz when they brought back former 1st-round pick DeForest Buckner in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts this week for a 2027 4th-round pick.
Buckner, a 2016 1st-round pick by the 49ers, had some of his best years in San Francisco before the Colts traded for him in 2020.
What the 49ers are getting now, however, might not be the elite player he was in the past — and the buzz might be about the name, not the product the 49ers will get on the field.
“It”s like ‘Oh, DeForest Buckner, the Niners got him,'” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on October 29. “But it’s like … he’s not really DeForest Buckner anymore. He hasn’t been DeForest Buckner for four years. I’ve watched the Colts this year. A lot. People are doing what they want against him. So you’re getting a different version of the guy, but’ it’s a name guy, right/ That’s where a lot of these trades are.”
While Buckner has 4.0 sacks through the first seven games of the season with the Colts, a closer look at the last few years shows there might be some substance to the argument against him.
Buckner’s Decline Over Last Two Seasons
Buckner turned 32 in March, and the 6-foot-7, 295-pound 2-time NFL All-Pro has shown a steep decline over the last two seasons — mainly in terms of his availability.
After missing just two regular-season games in his first eight seasons, Buckner has missed 12 in the last two. In 2024, Buckner missed five games due to a high-ankle sprain. In 2025, Buckner missed seven games with a neck injury that put him on injured reserve at the start of the season, then re-aggravated it—it eventually requiring season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disc.
49ers Could Use Boost on Defensive Front
Buckner won’t be counted on to be a one-man show for the 49ers — they have taken a decidedly “Group Project” approach to rushing the passer. So far in 2026, 11 different 49ers have recorded a sack, led by Keion White with 3.5.
The 49ers have done so mostly without edge rusher and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, who hasn’t played since Week 2 with a calf injury.
The 49ers have also been a man down at defensive tackle after potential breakout star Alfred Collins suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon in practice just days before the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.
49ers Called Out Over Meaningless Trade for $160 Million Pro Bowler