There’s no replacing Nick Bosa’s impact. As the 49ers face up to the reality of losing their star pass rusher for the rest of the 2025 season, they also must accept the fact there is no single one player who can replicate what he does for their defensive front.
Losing Bosa is a hammer blow for the 49ers, one that not only robs them of one of the game’s premier game-wreckers, but also of the opportunity to consistently play him in tandem with Bryce Huff, who has shone in his first three games since arriving in a June trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Their partnership was blossoming, helping the 49ers consistently push the pocket from both edges and cause chaos in opposing backfields. Bosa and Huff recorded a game-winning forced fumble apiece across the first two games, and the drop-off in pressure on Kyler Murray in Week 3 was evident once Bosa left the game with what proved to be a torn ACL.
Filling the void left by Bosa, who also shines as a run defender who can set the edge superbly well and dominate tight ends, will not be a one-man job. There is no silver bullet that will solve the issue his absence creates.
San Francisco will look for Mykel Williams to build on the promising signs he has displayed over the last two weeks. More of a burden will be placed on Huff to operate as a three-down player, while the likes of Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu will be under pressure to step up. Gross-Matos has thrived as an interior pass rusher this season.
In the immediate future, it seems likely that, once Bosa is placed on injured reserve, the 49ers will elevate a defensive lineman from the practice squad. Trevis Gipson would be the favorite following a strong preseason from the sixth-year defender.
But, in the coming weeks, the 49ers will almost certainly call around the league to see if they can acquire pass-rush help from outside.
With San Francisco keen to hold on to draft capital to build a younger roster, the 49ers won’t be keen to pay the kind of price it would take to land a player of comparative reputation to Bosa. In other words, any talk of trading for Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson is probably fanciful.
Yet there are players who could be available who have the ability to elevate the committee of players it will take to keep the defensive line successful in Bosa’s absence, and the 49ers have already faced one such player who stands as a compelling potential trade target this season.
49ers should consider Granderson trade
The 49ers’ offensive line had a bounce-back game in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints after struggling in Week 1 in Seattle, but defensive end Carl Granderson still managed to prove a disruptive force.
Granderson’s two sacks of Mac Jones were clean-up jobs, yet he was a constant thorn in the side of the 49ers’ backup tight ends in the run game. Reviewing the tape, San Francisco’s staff will have seen several traits they covet in Granderson’s performance agains the 49ers.
Matched up against Trent Williams for much of the encounter, Granderson was limited to three pressures, per Pro Football Focus, yet the assets he possesses were obvious even going against a player of Williams’ Hall of Fame talents.
With 34-inch arms and explosive athletic ability that was apparent in his pre-draft testing coming out of Wyoming, Granderson boasts the natural knock back power that is highly valued by the 49ers and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek when evaluating edge rushers.
Granderson isn’t overly flexible in his lower half, but he has the ability to win inside and outside, his lateral quickness making him a natural threat on stunts.
Those traits helped Granderson post a career-high 61 pressures last season, per Pro Football Focus, and his all-round game heightens the appeal of a possible trade.
Granderson is a malleable player, one whose comfort in being out the traditional defensive end comfort zone in coverage would be a highly useful tool in the arsenal of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Indeed, Granderson was seventh in PFF coverage grade among edge defenders (min. 10 coverage snaps) in 2023 and third last year. He does not look out of place dropping back to defend the pass, and his flexibility in that regard could expand the menu for Saleh in terms of the zone blitzes at his disposal.
Still, the primary requirements for defensive linemen are to get after the passer and, perhaps even more pertinently, stop the run. The 49ers have demonstrated a marked improvement from their dismal performance of 2024 in keeping opposing ground games in check, and Granderson is a run defender with the skill set to help keep the train on the track in that area of the game.
A violent edge-setter who seemingly relishes the opportunity to rag doll tight ends, Granderson’s 27 run stops in 2024 put him fifth among edge defenders with at least 100 run defense snaps, per PFF. Similarly hellacious in pursuit, Granderson would have little issue matching the intensity levels that have permeated through the 49er defense through the first three weeks of the season.
Set to turn 29 in December, Granderson would not be an acquisition made for the long term, and the numbers on the final two years of his current contract may represent a stumbling block, though not one that should prevent the 49ers enquiring about a trade.
The opportunity cost
Due a base salary of $1.17 million, with three games already paid by New Orleans, Granderson’s contract is not an issue this year.
It is the 2026 and 2027 numbers that could present a concern for San Francisco
Granderson is due $10.75 million in base salary in 2026, with $5.44 million of that fully guaranteed. He is due $10.75 million in 2027 and a roster bonus of $2 million in 2026 and 2027.
Those are not financially onerous numbers, but they are also aren’t insignificant for a player who has recorded over 5.5 sacks just once in his career. If the 49ers were to trade for Granderson and were comfortable keeping him beyond this season, it seems likely they would consider a restructure.
For this year at least, though, Granderson is a player who represents excellent value for money. He fits the 49ers skill set-wise and can impact both the run and the pass while showing intriguing versatility in coverage.
He is a long way from being Nick Bosa, but Granderson would be a floor-raiser on the defensive line whose presence would allow first-round pick Williams to continue to his development as an interior pass rusher on true passing downs.
The 49ers will be reluctant to spend a lot of picks at the trade deadline amid a conscious effort to refresh their roster with younger players that, through three weeks of this season, is paying dividends. Yet the more the 0-3 Saints keep losing, the likelier it becomes that they will be able to land Granderson at a reasonable price.
Save for the unlikely event of a Hendrickson trade, the 49ers won’t be able to find a single solution for the problems left by Bosa’s injury. They are going to need several players to help minimize the damage. Acquiring Granderson would be a smart, low-risk move that would clearly improve the strength of that collective.
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