Story by
Could 49ers go all in with a massive trade for a superstar DE?
- Story by
- Could 49ers go all in with a massive trade for a superstar DE?
The Cleveland Browns made the conspicuous move this week of reworking 7-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Myles Garrett's deal . The decision essentially made it theoretically possible to trade away the two-time Defensive Player of the Year despite his massive contract . ESPN's Adam Schefter later reported , however, that the Browns are not open to trading Garrett, but anything is possible if the price is right.
Now, every team in the NFL should want to try to trade for Garrett if he were truly available. But Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr ranked the top teams that would be suitors in a hypothetical Garrett deal, including the 49ers .
This would be an interesting long-term gamble on behalf of the Browns. While the 49ers are an excellent, top-10 team right now, their aging roster presents the possibility of a few injuries derailing a season and making future 49ers draft capital look immensely valuable. In the Kyle Shanahan era, San Francisco has picked third, ninth, second and 11th (though some of those higher picks were the result of a trade up). The 49ers are moving like a team that acknowledges upgrades are necessary to compete in an increasingly competitive NFC West, and Garrett would dramatically raise the efficacy of star pass rusher Nick Bosa in the interim. This would be a salvo fired directly toward the less-mobile Stafford and bootleg-dependent Sam Darnold within the division.
It's hard to say what a trade for Garrett would look like, but it would almost assuredly include a bevy of high draft picks and possibly even a quality player or two to sweeten the pot. As Orr noted, adding Garrett to the defense would also raise the tide of the unit to unprecedented levels, especially if Bosa is healthy.
Advertisement
Would Shanahan and general manager John Lynch make such a brash move? Why not? The 49ers need to remain competitive in the NFC West, and adding a player of the caliber of Garrett would turn the 49ers into the preeminent defensive powerhouse in the league. It would sacrifice some of the 49ers' long-term future, but the 49ers are at a bit of an inflection point anyway with the way their roster is currently constructed.
The call should be made, it just might not even be answered by Cleveland.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Could 49ers go all in with a massive trade for a superstar DE?
