Getty John Lynch, 49ers GM, who had a busy NFL trade deadline
As the NFL trade deadline window closed with the loud addition by the 49ers of pass-rusher Chase Young, and there was talk that perhaps the 49ers would do something more. But one of their possible targets—offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland—came off the board fairly early, dealt to Jacksonville. The 49ers’ depth on the offensive line has been a question mark, and Cleveland would have been a solid insurance policy.
The cost that the Jags coughed up for Cleveland, just a sixth-round pick, was surprising. In fact, it was surprising enough that Yahoo Sports’ longtime NFL writer Charles Robinson noted that he was “shocked” that the 49ers did not get in and beat the offer on that trade.
As Robinson wrote on Twitter (X) on Tuesday afternoon:
Shocked the #49ers wouldn’t have flipped a little better than a 6th for #Vikings’ Ezra Cleveland. #Jaguars add fairly cheap OL depth down the stretch that could have helped San Francisco.
49ers Trade Deadline Talk Had Included Cleveland
Earlier this month, a proposed NFL trade deadline deal between the 49ers and the Vikings had Cleveland landing in San Francisco, at a much higher cost. Pro Football Focus projected the 49ers giving up a 2025 fourth-round pick, with a sixth-rounder coming back from the Vikings. That swap, and the mere $1.66 million incoming contract seemed to make Cleveland a cheap get for the 49ers.
Instead, he went to the Jags at an even cheaper rate.
It’s hard to say whether the 49ers had interest in him or whether they just felt a guy like Cleveland would not be a fit. But Matt Barrows of The Athletic also had tabbed Cleveland as a potential fit for the 49ers, and wrote that there is some history there.
“The 49ers seemed to like Cleveland heading into the 2020 draft,” Athletic beat reporter Matt Barrows wrote. “They had a pre-draft visit with him that spring, albeit a ‘video visit’ because in-person meetings were wiped out by COVID-19. It’s easy to understand the allure: Cleveland has length — 6 foot 6 with 33 3/8-inch arms — and was light on his feet for a 311-pounder. He ran his 40-yard dash at the combine in 4.93 seconds, which is excellent for an offensive lineman and suits San Francisco’s zone-blocking scheme.”
Barrows further pointed out that Cleveland has come from the 49ers’ NFL line-coaching tree, with current Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper having worked under 49ers line coach Chris Foerster six years ago in Miami.
Blockbuster Trade Yields Chase Young
All in all, there can certainly be no complaints about what the 49ers did at the trade deadline. Young is a bit of a risk because he struggled so badly with injuries in the last two years, and has only recently begun to play up to his status as the No. 2 overall pick in 2020.
But the defense has not been the only problem with the 49ers during their somewhat stunning three-game losing streak. The offense has stalled out, too.
ESPN recently created a stat to measure the “win rate” of offensive and defensive lines, and while the 49ers’ win rate in run blocking has been effective (71%, 13th in the NFL), the pass blocking has been subpar (51% win rate, 20th in the NFL).
The 49ers helped the D-line, which was the priority at Tuesday’s deadline. But there were other needs, too.