Getty The 49ers can trade with an NFC East seller for perfect cover for Nick Bosa.
Nick Bosa’s latest injury has reminded the San Francisco 49ers about the need for quality depth at the edges of their defensive line. The group is the strength of the team, but most of said strength is powered by Pro Bowl pass-rusher Bosa.
He’s the team’s sack leader, but Bosa suffered a groin injury during Week 5’s 37-15 win over the Carolina Panthers. The options to replace him hardly inspire confidence. It’s either Charles Omenihu or top draft pick Drake Jackson, who is yet to make a full start during his rookie season.
Fortunately for the Niners, they could find better depth by contacting a struggling NFC East team tipped to be “sellers” before the NFL’s trade deadline on November 1. Like the 49ers, this team is loaded along the defensive line, and a former first-round pick who can win off the edge could be available.
Perfect 3rd Edge-Rusher ‘Makes Sense’ for Trade
Heavy’s Senior NFL Reporter Matt Lombardo revealed the Washington Commanders are expected to be active in the trade market. Specifically, the Commanders are tipped to move players on, with Lombardo naming tight end Logan Thomas and pass-rusher Montez Sweat as two who “could make sense if Washington does a tear down.”
With the trade deadline approaching, through league conversations, the sense I get is the #Commanders could be sellers. Names like Logan Thomas and Montez Sweat could make sense if Washington does a tear down.
Sweat is a player who should interest the 49ers. The 26th player taken in the 2019 draft is a capable and versatile pass-rusher who fits any defensive scheme based on relentless pressure from the front four.
That’s just the scheme the Niners run under coordinator DeMeco Ryans. He’s able to turn Bosa and Samson Ebukam loose off the edges, and the two have combined for nine sacks.
Bosa had been enjoying what’s shaping up to be an All-Pro season before he was forced off during the first half against the Panthers. He’s got a checkered injury history, having missed all-but two games in 2020 thanks to a torn ACL.
#49ers Nick Bosa leads the NFL in pressures (31), QB Hits (16), and tied for the lead in sacks (6) 🙌🏼
His latest absence contributed to the NFL’s No. 1 defense practicing with what Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury referred to as a “skeleton crew.” Inman noted how Ebukam also missed practice on Wednesday, October 12 “because of Achilles tendinitis.”
Those issues have Ryans scrambling for replacements. Jackson and fourth-year pro Omenihu are the next men up, with the latter tipped by Matt Barrows of The Athletic to replace Bosa if needed.
It’s a far from ideal situation since Jackson and Omenihu have only seven starts between them, all by the veteran. Striking a deal for Sweat would put another proven commodity on the depth chart behind Ebukam and Bosa.
It would also make up for a similar and previous deal that didn’t work out.
This Trade Wouldn’t Be Another Dee Ford Deal
The 49ers aren’t shy about trading for pass-rush help. General manager John Lynch traded a 2020 second-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Dee Ford in 2019.
Ford was given a five-year contract worth $87.5 million, but he struggled to live up to those terms. He logged just 9.5 sacks in three seasons and landed on injured reserve twice before being released this past offseason.
Sweat hasn’t been as productive as Ford, who twice recorded double-digit sacks with the Chiefs in his career, but the Commanders’ rush end has been more durable. The 26-year-old has missed just seven games since entering the pros.
A lot was expected of Sweat this season, but he has struggled while fellow edge-rusher Chase Young has been injured. Sweat has just two sacks through five games, with both coming against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5:
Montez Sweat runs right over the Titans LT on his way to sack Tannehill on 3rd down #Commanders
He’s a talent, but the Commanders could be prepared to move on from Sweat, especially since Young is getting closer to returning. The second-overall pick in 2020 is recovering from a torn ACL, but he’s recently been “doing ladder drills and other work with trainers,” according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
Other, less-heralded players have been helping the Commanders get pressure without Young. The emergence of ends like Casey Toohill and Efe Obada, could also encourage the Commaders to deal Sweat:
Fun fact: Commanders DE Casey Toohill ranks second in PFF’s pass-rushing efficiency metrics, trailing only Nick Bosa.
More fun: Efe Obada is 4th.
(H/t @Bo_Wulf‘s latest NFL power rankings – t.co/RPHYYhlbBd)
Washington head coach Ron Rivera is under pressure and needs draft capital if he’s going to sell his ability to restock his roster for a brighter future. Sweat isn’t the only defensive lineman who could be moved, with tackle Daron Payne also touted as a possibility for the 49ers.
A third or fourth-round pick for Sweat would put a young and resilient pass-rusher into a formidable rotation with Bosa and Ebukam.