3 Trade Targets the 49ers Should Consider Before the Deadline
Oct 25, 2022, 11:45 AM | Updated: 12:40 pm
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 23: Brian Burns #53 of the Carolina Panthers walks onto the field prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
We are less than a week away from the NFL trade deadline folks. By 1 p.m. Pacific Time Nov. 1, all trades must be completed with the league office as teams will be barred from trades until the new league year in the spring.
The San Francisco 49ers have already made their splash in the trade market, acquiring running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers last week. In return, Carolina received a second, third, and fourth-round pick in 2023, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024 for CMC’s services.
Now with less than a week to go, could general manager John Lynch and the 49ers go back to the negotiating table and swing another deal for the Red & Gold? Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated prior to the McCaffrey trade that the team is open to any deal, as long as it makes sense for the organization.
“I know we look into everything, so if there’s something that makes sense that we can pull off, I know we’ll never hesitate to do that,” Shanahan said last Wednesday.
With that in mind, here are three trade targets that would immediately bolster the 49ers’ roster.
DE Brian Burns
By far the most lucrative trade the 49ers could make in the next seven days is defensive end Brian Burns.
Already making a trade with the Panthers, Lynch and GM Scott Freeitter are on good terms and could look to deal again if Carolina wants additional draft compensation.
It won’t come cheap, however, with reports that the team already turned down an offer of two first-round picks for the pro bowl pass rusher. The 49ers don’t have a pick before the fifth round in the upcoming draft, making this deal extremely complicated if it can get done.
If Lynch somehow convinces Carolina to accept a trade, San Francisco would be getting one of the best young defensive linemen in football. Simple as that.
Panthers @Fire_Burns99 was so happy to finally sack the GOAT 😂
"3 years, bro!"pic.twitter.com/WOjRFi5uGb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 24, 2022
Making the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2021, Burns racked up nine sacks, 50 combined tackles, and 18 quarterback hits last season. He’s been on fire to start the new campaign as well, already at five sacks and 29 combined tackles through the first seven weeks of the 2022 season.
Plus, he’s still on his rookie-scale contract, so Burns would cost the 49ers minimal change this season, but his fifth-year option jumps up to $16 million in 2023.
A home run trade if the 49ers can swing it, we’ll see if Carolina is serious about holding onto the former Florida State pass rusher.
CB Greedy Williams
This trade is more realistic for the Red & Gold, dealing with secondary issues after cornerback Emmanuel Moseley tore his ACL Week 5.
Williams, 24, hasn’t been featured much for the Cleveland Browns this season, only playing in two out of seven games so far. This comes down to an abundance of talent with the midwest team having depth at the corner position with Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome III. Nevertheless, if San Francisco can swing a deal for Williams, he would surely bolster their depleted secondary.
Missing all of 2020 with a knee injury, Williams had his best year last season. Playing in 16 games, the former LSU corner broke up 10 passes, forced one fumble, and had 41 combined tackles. A long CB at 6’2″, Williams fits the mold of a DeMeco Ryans’s player, able to play multiple positions thanks to his versatility on the field.
It’ll cost San Francisco significantly less as well, able to get him for a fourth or fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft.
If the 49ers feel the need to address the secondary, Williams’s agent should be on their speed dial.
OT Isaiah Wynn
A former first-round draft pick, Isaiah Wynn could address the need for a solid swing tackle that the 49ers have been missing the last few weeks.
As evident in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco’s tackles need to improve mightily if they want to make the postseason. Specifically right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who gave up four pressures and two sacks to the Chiefs in Sunday’s loss.
Enter Isaiah Wynn.
Almost 27, the New England Patriots offensive tackle has struggled this season, among the league leaders in penalties drawn. The 49ers themselves are one of the league leaders in penalty flags, getting 57 calls against the Red & Gold in 2022. That’s good enough for fifth most in the NFL.
So why does Wynn fit with the 49ers? Because their swing tackle situation is dire, to say the least.
The 49ers brought in reserve tackle Blake Hance from the Browns in the preseason, getting limited action this year that has yielded poor results. Wynn, a former Georgia Bulldog, could benefit from the zone run scheme that Shanahan uses, able to play at both guard and tackle spots on the offensive line.
On the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Wynn would cost the 49ers $10.4 million to acquire his services before the deadline. While that might seem like a pretty penny to pay for a struggling offensive lineman, his contract expires after his season, meaning the team could sign him to substantially less money, or let him go before the 2023 season.
