Through three weeks, the San Francisco 49ers are below league average in pressure and sack rate, as well as total quarterback hits. Now they’re tasked with playing the rest of the season without their most important player.
In Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers’ pressure rate dipped from 45 percent to 28 percent without Nick Bosa on the field. Bryce Huff and Mykel Williams are producing, but it’s been slim pickings on a consistent basis outside of those two.
Yetur Gross-Matos should see a bigger workload as he gets healthier, but he’s not a player who will prevent the team from making calls and exploring who is available on the market.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes the Niners will be active ahead of the trade deadline:
Graziano: I’m looking at San Francisco, where the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch 49ers have never been shy about making big in-season moves (hello, Christian McCaffrey!) and are suffering through an incredible rash of early-season injuries. The latest, to star edge rusher Nick Bosa, falls into the irreplaceable category, but that shouldn’t stop the Niners from seeing if they can bring in another edge rusher to supplement whatever plan they have to compensate for Bosa’s loss.
Supplement is the proper way to describe what the 49ers will attempt to do around the trade deadline. We went over one potential player whom the Niners have already faced. Let’s discuss a few other players who could help the 49ers supplement the loss of Bosa.
Jaelan Phillips – Dolphins
Mike McDaniel might not be long for the job in Miami. The Dolphins are 0-3 and look lifeless. Phillips, a former first-round pick, is in a contract year. He has not played double-digit games since 2022. He tore his ACL in September 2024 after taking an accidental shot to his knee from teammate Jordan Poyer. In November 2023, Phillips tore his ACL on the notoriously bad turf at MetLife Stadium. It was a non-contact injury.
So far, so good, this season for Phillips. He’s seen an uptick in snaps in each of Miami’s first three games. Against the Buffalo Bills last Thursday, Phillips recorded a pair of run stops and a quarterback pressure. Despite those injuries, Phillips is an attractive candidate for the 49ers thanks to his size and athleticism. The 6’5″, 266-pound edge rusher plays hard. That will catch the Niners’ eye.
Philips’ pressure rate on the season is 13 percent. That puts him just under T.J. Watt and Josh Sweat, and ahead of players like Brian Burns, Danielle Hunter, and Montez Sweat.
Phillips has a win percentage of 12.5 percent. Phillips also has experience dropping into coverage, something that Robert Saleh has done on occasion with his edge rushers.
He’s a player the Niners could use and would not cost more than a Day 3 pick, given his injury history. Phillips can play:
I’ve been a fan of Phillips since he came out of college. The upside is there, and he’s the type of player that could help the Niners the second he steps onto the field.
Trey Hendrickson – Bengals
The Bengals are 2-1, but Joe Burrow will be out for a few months. Hendrickson is a free agent after this season. He also has a cap number of $25.1 million in 2025. Furthermore, Hendrickson turns 31 in December. He’s no spring chicken.
But he produces. Hendrickson is tied for the third-most pressures in the NFL among edge rushers and has the fifth-highest win percentage at 25 percent. He has not missed a game since 2022 and has been among the league leaders in sacks in each of the previous two seasons.
A first-round pick should be off the table for a player north of 30. Hendrickson, being in the last year of his contract, should benefit the Niners in negotiations. All offseason, general manager John Lynch said he wanted to get younger, but that was before his best player went down with a season-ending injury. You want a veteran, and Hendrickson fills the void.
Does Hendrickson fall into the same category as Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams in terms of being worthy of his contract? The 49ers aren’t necessarily in a do-or-die situation. They’re 3-0. They don’t have to make a rash decision. We discussed Hendrickson’s age. Williams is a unicorn. It’s fan fiction to believe Hendrickson could sustain this play for another five years in the way Williams has.
The team has the cap space to take on his entire deal, which may also make them a more attractive destination than other teams against the cap. Being able to absorb Hendrickson’s contract would presumably lower Cincinnati’s asking price. A deal similar to McCaffrey’s, where you trade a second, third, and future Day 3 picks, should get it done if the Bengals’ season goes south. But even a conditional first-round pick would be tough to swallow, the way San Francisco’s last two first-rounders have looked to date.
If you’re going to part ways with a first-round pick, make it for a young, up-and-coming player.
Kayvon Thibodeaux – Giants
Thibodeaux, a former top-five pick, is under contract through 2026. Graziano said, “Given the Giants’ depth in the defensive front seven, they could certainly get calls on someone such as Thibodeaux if they’re falling out of contention.” Brian Burns and Abdul Carter are the future of the Giants’ pass rush, potentially making Thibodeaux expendable.
Thibodeaux’s win percentage on the season is 12.5 percent. He has a pressure rate of 10.8 percent. We’ve seen what his potential ceiling could look like; he had 11.5 sacks in 2023. Thibodeaux passes the eye test. I’d argue that he looks better than Hendrickson, despite what the statistics say.
He was “close” on several pass rushes this past Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. He also made multiple plays as a run defender. If you’re going to part ways with quality draft capital, do it with somebody who is still under team control on a rookie deal for multiple years. If Thibodeaux continues to ascend under Kris Kocurek and Robert Saleh, you can talk extensions when it’s time to cross that bridge.
If the cost is a first-rounder for Thibodeaux, it’s worth it. However, San Francisco can get creative and throw in multiple seconds or third, and make some conditional picks to entice the Giants. Thibodeaux’s worst season in three years produced 39 pressures last year. That was in 12 games. His best football is ahead of him. Hendrickson is a popular name, but Thibodeaux feels like a better fit for what they ask of their edge rushers, from kicking inside to dropping into coverage to playing the run.
Cameron Jordan – Saints
The former Cal Bear is 36. However, we’re discussing supplementing Bosa as if the only area he excels in is against the pass. Bosa is equally as good as a run defender, which is why the Niners have gotten opposing offenses into third and medium-to-long situations.
Mykel Williams on one edge, and 287-pound Jordan on the other edge, would give the Niners the heaviest defensive line in the league. Mykel needs a mentor. Jordan can show the rookie the ropes.
Cameron is no slouch, despite his age. He’s PFF’s fifth-highest graded run defender for edge rushers, one spot ahead of Thibodeaux.
Another reason why a player like Jordan would greatly benefit the 49ers is that he doesn’t force players like Bryce Huff or Yetur Gross-Matos to play on early downs. Keeping Huff and Gross-Matos healthy and fresh for the duration of the season becomes even more imperative for the Niners with Bosa out. Let them continue to specialize against the pass, while Jordan boosts the run defense. San Francisco could continue to sub in Sam Okouayinonu with Jordan, but it takes pressure off those three. It would also allow Sam O to continue to play special teams.
While it’s difficult to envision Jordan in another uniform, the Saints are out of it. Jordan is in the final season of his contract. He’d cost the Niners around $9.8 million for the duration of the season. It’s not as flashy as Hendrickson or Thibodeaux, but he makes everybody better and allows the role players to remain in their respective roles. Plus, Jordan likely wouldn’t cost anything more than a fourth-rounder.
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