49ers predicted to trade for elite 30-year-old edge rusher as Nick Bosa replacement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco 49ers have lost a pair of star players on the defensive side of the ball to injury. First it was edge rusher Nick Bosa, and then linebacker Fred Warner.
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As a result, the 4-2 Niners need to make significant additions to help their defense try and cover for those losses. General manager John Lynch won’t be able to fully replace either one, but he needs to come as close as possible.
Well, Lynch actually might be able to replace Bosa, but that would require a blockbuster trade for Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicts the Niners will do just that ahead of the trade deadline. Here are his thoughts on such a move:
If San Francisco isn’t gutting out tough wins, it’s taking catastrophic losses on the medical front. Sunday marked but the latest, with the 49ers defense losing its heartbeat in All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (ankle injury). Hendrickson can’t fill those shoes, of course, but he can get after quarterbacks, which is something the 49ers need to do more consistently in the wake of Nick Bosa’s own exit due to injury. Yes, he finally settled contract talks with the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the season, but he’s still a candidate to be moved as a pending free agent.
Interestingly enough, there is a little smoke surrounding the Niners pursuing a deal for Hendrickson, and it comes from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
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“San Francisco is canvassing the pass rusher market to fill the void left by Nick Bosa’s injury,” Russini wrote. “I expect them to call Cincinnati about Trey Hendrickson.”
We beg to differ with Benjamin that Hendrickson can’t fill Bosa’s shoes. After all, no edge rusher in the NFL had more sacks than Hendrickson’s 35 from 2023 through 2024, and he led the league in that category last season.
But would the Bengals actually consider trading him? That’s a different story.
Cincinnati is 2-4, so it’s not like their season is completely over. However, it is no doubt moving in that direction after Joe Burrow’s injury and four-straight losses. When 40-year-old Joe Flacco is your final hope, it’s a bad, bad situation.
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If the Bengals lose two or more games in the next three weeks before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, it’s conceivable they could move Hendrickson, who is disgruntled after once again not getting the contract extension he desires.
Knowing that, it’s very possible Hendrickson will walk in free agency next offseason and not getting something for him before that happens would be catastrophic for the Bengals.
It’ll cost a pretty penny to acquire an elite edge rusher like Hendrickson, who could garner at least a second-round pick in a trade. However, the Niners are a good team and have a chance to compete for big things in 2025, so Lynch should spring at a chance to acquire one of the league’s best edge rushers.
