Where 49ers stand entering bye with trade deadline looming

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In six of the past seven years since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took the reins of the San Francisco 49ers, they have made at least one trade at or just before the NFL trade deadline.

There have been seismic, franchise-altering acquisitions such as running back Christian McCaffrey in 2022 and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017.

There have been midsize deals for players such as receiver Emmanuel Sanders in 2019 or defensive end Chase Young in 2023 who the 49ers hoped could push them over the top and into Super Bowl victories.

There have also been minor deals that would eventually pay big dividends like trading for defensive end Jordan Willis in 2020 (his blocked punt in the 2022 NFC divisional round propelled the 49ers to an upset win in Green Bay) and the 2021 trade for defensive lineman Charles Omenihu, who would go on to become a significant contributor to a pair of NFC Championship Game appearances.

There has even been the occasional trade of a veteran player in exchange for a draft pick, such as the 2020 deal sending linebacker Kwon Alexander to the Saints for linebacker Kiko Alonso and a fifth-round pick that would eventually become cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

The Niners (4-4) enter this week's bye with the trade deadline looming at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and there are plenty of directions they can go. Stay put and hope to get injured players back, acquire role players at key positions, or trade players on expiring contracts to build for the future.

Though, the only thing that seems certain at this point is that San Francisco will do what it does every year: look into every possible scenario and then act -- or not act -- accordingly.

"We try to look into everything regardless," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "But it has to do with what options are out there with stuff that we can pull off that doesn't totally hurt us, that helps us now and doesn't hurt us for the future. There's lots of decisions that go into it. So, we'll look into everything, but a lot of times that's just kind of living in hope. Those answers aren't always out there."

The first half of the 49ers' season has been up and down. They blew big leads against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals and have given themselves little margin for error over the final nine games.

An offense that's struggled mightily in the red zone, a defense that hasn't consistently rushed the passer or stopped the run and a shoddy special teams' unit have taken turns sharing the blame.

What's more, a rash of injuries reminiscent (though not as debilitating) of the 2020 season, has left the 49ers thin at defensive tackle, safety, wide receiver and even kicker. History would suggest that the Niners are more likely to add help than deal away expiring veteran contracts for draft assets in the coming days.

For one, they play in a woeful NFC West where they sit in a tie atop the division -- albeit behind on tiebreakers. On top of that, the Niners are also expecting some injured players back in the mix.

"Nobody's ran away with the division," left tackle Trent Williams said. "We are all pretty close when you talk about records, so we got a lot of time. It's a very long season and hopefully we'll get some key contributors back here in the next few weeks, next month or so. ... We got a lot of time left in the season but we don't have a lot of time to waste."

Indeed, the 49ers would be hard-pressed to find any player available on the trade market who can do more for them than those who currently reside on various injury lists.

McCaffrey headlines that group. He missed the first eight games with Achilles tendonitis but his recovery has gone well enough that Shanahan has repeatedly pointed to the Nov. 10 game against Tampa Bay coming out of the bye as a possible, if not likely, return date. While Jordan Mason has filled in well for McCaffrey, there's simply no substituting for McCaffrey's versatility and what his mere presence does to open things up for others.

Receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) and kicker Jake Moody (sprained right ankle) should also return as soon as the Bucs game with linebacker Dre Greenlaw (torn left Achilles) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (torn ligaments in his wrist) expected to follow in the weeks after.

"That guy (McCaffrey) will be back soon, so I'm pretty confident in that," tight end George Kittle said. "Stay healthy, get those guys back. And really again, once we find our rhythm... our offense can just score more points, convert on third down, we'll win more football games."

While Kittle, Williams and other 49ers are confident that getting injured players back combined with what's already in the locker room should be enough to contend, there's no denying that another addition or two could offer a needed jumpstart.

As has often been the case in previous years, the defensive line figures to be the top priority.

Of the eight near-deadline trades Lynch and Shanahan have made in which they've acquired an active player, they've landed a defensive lineman in four of them (Young, Willis, Omenihu and Randy Gregory).

It would make sense for the 49ers to add to that total after losing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to injured reserve with a torn triceps with other tackles such as Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens and Yetur Gross-Matos also dealing with injuries of varying severity. More depth on the edge would also have some appeal given that the Niners have no proven commodities beyond starters Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd.

A wide receiver addition is less likely but can't be ruled out after losing Brandon Aiyuk to a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee and with Jennings and Deebo Samuel Sr. also missing games here and there.

The impact of a significant trade acquisition also can't be downplayed.

After landing McCaffrey in 2022, the 49ers went 10-1 to close the season with the only loss coming a couple days after he arrived and had a limited role. They went 7-2 and to Super Bowl LVIII after acquiring Young at the deadline last year.

"I think it always excites the team, especially when you get guys like Christian, you get guys like Chase, guys that are household names and guys come in and make an immediate impact," Williams said. "I think it does give the team a jolt of new enthusiasm. It's not like we're looking forward to it, but if it happens, it happens."

And if it doesn't? Well, the 49ers will have to hope for not only better health but also for vast improvement from within.

"You've got to be ready to get people better in your building," Shanahan said. "And if you ever find something that makes sense, we will never hesitate on it but it's not always available like you hope it is."