<\/p>\n
T<\/span>he\u00a0San Francisco 49ers\u00a0have been linked to the wide receiver position as we approach next week\u2019s trade deadline. It makes sense, given Brandon Aiyuk\u2019s\u00a0season-ending injury, Jauan Jennings missing a couple of games, and Deebo Samuel being in and out of the lineup this season.<\/p>\n Ricky Pearsall\u2019s recent emergence and the potential return of Christian McCaffrey take some of the sting out of losing Aiyuk. There\u2019s still plenty of firepower on the offensive side of the ball.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the defensive side of the ball that could stand to use reinforcements during the second half of the season. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw\u00a0could be week to week\u00a0once the Niners return from the bye week. Safety Talanoa Hufanga will attempt to\u00a0play with an air cast, but the safety play has been superb in his absence. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave\u2019s return wouldn\u2019t happen until a playoff berth \u2014 and even that might be a longshot.<\/p>\n Yetur Gross-Matos was signed to be a rotational pass rusher who can get after the quarterback. He\u2019s played 79 snaps in three games this season. Leonard Floyd\u2019s playing time has been consistent. His production has not. Per Next Gen Stats, Floyd ranks 63rd among all defensive linemen in pressure rate this season. He\u2019s a full percentage point lower than Kevin Givens.<\/p>\n Sam Okuayinonu continues to impress. He had four quarterback pressures and a sack on only 20 pass rushes against the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0in Week 8. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen uses Sam O as the third edge rusher on obvious passing downs who kicks inside at defensive tackle.<\/p>\n Adding a pass rusher at the trade deadline could go a long way in keeping the 32-year-old Floyd fresh while Okuayinonu remains inside. Let\u2019s review a few potential trade targets the 49ers should pursue before next week.<\/p>\n The 49ers traded for a former teammate of Nick Bosa\u2019s last season. Browning was on the roster with Bosa and Chase Young from 2018 to 2019.<\/p>\n Browning has one Injured Reserve stint this year after suffering a foot injury in Week 2. He missed seven games last season due to a knee injury and a concussion. Trading for a player with an injury history in the last year of his contract is quite risky, especially after Gross-Matos has panned out.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re scouting Browning based on his performance against teams you\u2019ll play against, he dominated the\u00a0Seahawks\u00a0in Week 1. Browning had five run stops and five quarterback pressures. He\u2019s a high-end athlete who adds athleticism and versatility.<\/p>\n And since Denver has no ties to Browning after this season, he could be traded for a Day 3 pick. At 25, Browning could be a part of the 49ers’ future plans if he performs well and stays healthy in the second half.<\/p>\n Smith is 32, which likely signals he\u2019s not in Cleveland\u2019s plans after 2024. Smith\u2019s salary is $1.21 in \u201824 and costs about $11 million coming his way in 2025.<\/p>\n Smith is coming off a spectacular showing against the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0in Week 8, where he had eight quarterback pressures, four run stops, and a sack. Smith has had at least two run stops in every game but one. He\u2019s registered at least three pressures in four different games. He\u2019s a productive pass rusher, playing a little more than 58 percent of the snaps this season.<\/p>\n Smith is a complete player with experience and production. He\u2019d also fit the 49ers mold of an edge rusher. Browning is listed at 245 pounds. Smith is 275. You must be able to play the run, and that\u2019s no issue for Smith. He\u2019s the most complete player we\u2019ll talk about today.<\/p>\n Ojulari is in the final year of his rookie contract. The Giants might be reluctant to move Ojulari after a recent injury to one of their starting edge rushers.<\/p>\n Since Kayvon Thibodeaux\u2019s injury, Ojulari has played at least 77 percent of the snaps in the previous three games for New York. In those games, he has 12 pressures, five sacks, and 12 run stops. He\u2019s been all over the place.<\/p>\n Thibodeaux isn\u2019t expected to miss too much longer, and the Niners should strike while the iron is hot. With the Giants’ investments in Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, they are unlikely to pay Ojulari after this season.<\/p>\n He\u2019s bigger than Browning, at 250 pounds, and has been productive with his opportunities. The former second-rounder from the\u00a02021 NFL Draft\u00a0has superb traits that Kris Kocurek covets. One of his comparisons, according to MockDraftable, is Ojulari\u2019s college teammate, Robert Beal Jr.<\/p>\n 49ers fans may want to reunite with D.J. Jones, but Godchaux has the bigger frame (6\u20193″\/315 pounds) and is on a team that appears to be selling. Godchaux has two seasons remaining on his contract, which could entice the Niners, who have two veterans and two players with little to no experience at defensive tackle.<\/p>\n Godchaux has only missed games in one season since 2018. He\u2019s also been more productive than Jones. Godchaux\u2019s 23 run stops are tied with De\u2019Vondre Campbell and is one less than Bosa\u2019s. That\u2019s an excellent sign for a nose tackle.<\/p>\n Availability and consistently stopping the run should put Godchaux at the top of the front office’s list of potential targets within the next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The\u00a0San Francisco 49ers\u00a0have been linked to the wide receiver position as we approach next week\u2019s trade deadline. It makes sense, given Brandon Aiyuk\u2019s\u00a0season-ending injury, Jauan Jennings missing… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-san-francisco-49ers"],"yoast_head":"\nBaron Browning – Broncos<\/h3>\n
Za\u2019Darius Smith – Browns<\/h3>\n
Azeez Ojulari – Giants<\/h3>\n
Davon Godchaux – Patriots<\/h3>\n