In the wake of the two blockbuster NFL trades that have taken place over the last day or so, speculation of how the San Francisco 49ers and general manager John Lynch will approach the incoming trade deadline is rampant.
Talk about possible reunions between players who once wore red and gold has dominated a significant portion of the conversation. D.J. Jones, who played for San Francisco from 2017 to 2021 and currently plays in Denver, came up in a mailbag column by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and in a trade deadline column by CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan. Barrows reported that a possible trade “makes a lot of sense” because Jones is on an expiring contract, he’s familiar with how the team operates, and the team lacks defensive tackle depth. The hang-up is whether the Broncos, at 3-3, are selling at the Nov. 5 deadline. Sullivan only offered the Broncos’ perspective in his blurb about the hypothetical move, which would help Denver “recoup assets” before his potential impending departure this offseason.
Maurice Jones-Drew of NFL Network proposed on Wednesday that the Niners should sign Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, who are both currently with the Dolphins, following in the footsteps of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers’ reunion. Mostert, a Niner from 2016 to 2021, and Wilson, a Niner from 2018 until he was traded midseason in 2022, are “solid veteran options who would add some quality depth to this 49ers attack,” per Jones-Drew.
Miami might be more tempted to make this move because of its young tailback depth in De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright and because their rough start to the season could turn them into deadline sellers. Jones-Drew was not alone in calling for a Bay Area running back reunion, as Bleacher Report’s “NFL Scouting Department” suggested the Niners pick up Jerick McKinnon, who played for San Francisco several years ago and is now a free agent.
As for names that wouldn’t create a reunion in Santa Clara, Barrows’s readers suggested a trio of edge rushers: Haason Reddick, Azeez Ojulari, and Calais Campbell. Bringing in Reddick was shot down immediately due to his inevitable price tag that’s still being negotiated as the player holds out from the Jets. Ojulari and Campbell were seen as more realistic options, as they’d likely be cheaper to trade for because of Ojulari’s position in the Giants’ depth chart and Campbell’s age. He’s 38 years old.
The Niners had a bit of pressure heading into this season’s trade deadline after they acquired Chase Young in the previous campaign, which seemed to strengthen a defensive line that was having trouble applying pressure and resulted in a brief losing streak early on. They, that sounds familiar. They have issues with their interior offensive lineman, defensive line, and even running backs, so they have weaknesses on both sides of the ball to address. If the team doesn’t take those issues seriously, they’ll have to get creative to find success with those gaps throughout the remainder of the season.
Players are fortunately willing to step up when needed for San Francisco, even if their motivation is more personal than team-oriented. On Tuesday, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir asked quarterback Brock Purdy a question on his Instagram story, writing, “Can I get a Jet sweep? @brock.purdy13.” Should any of these rumored running back deals fall through before the deadline, do not be shocked if the intriguing cornerback is matched up with wide receivers later in the season.