It is exhausting to talk about just how injury-prone the San Francisco 49ers are. With Nick Bosa on injured reserve and Bryce Huff missing the last two games, the Niners needed to make a move at edge rusher with the trade deadline approaching.
They ended up swapping late-round picks with the New England Patriots for Keion White, but then Yetur Gross-Matos landed on IR with a hamstring injury, and Mykel Williams is likely out for the season with a torn ACL.
This has, once again, put San Francisco in the market for edge-rusher help.
Trading for Trey Hendrickson is unlikely, and Jaelan Phillips is already off the board, so the most popular options would be veterans like Matthew Judon or Bradley Chubb, or a notable young stud to reunite with coordinator Robert Saleh, like Jermaine Johnson II.
But the 49ers should also consider the Las Vegas Raiders’ Malcolm Koonce.
49ers should call Raiders about Malcolm Koonce’s availability
Koonce’s production may not jump off the page, as he has recorded just 18 tackles, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss this season. But he was one of the NFL’s most underrated edge rushers during the 2023 season, as he recorded eight sacks in the final nine games of the year.
He lost the entirety of last season due to an ACL tear, and as a twitchy pass-rusher, it has been a steady process for Koonce to return to where he was a few years ago. But as a former third-round pick, and still just 27 years old, he’s intriguing as both a short-term Band-Aid and a long-term answer.
While Koonce has certainly benefited from playing alongside Maxx Crosby, his 13.5-percent pass-rush win rate is indicative of a player who is winning his matchups. That would be the fourth-highest rate on the Niners behind Bosa, Huff, and White through one game. Plus, Koonce has improved against the run in each of his four NFL seasons.
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The Raiders are also helpless once again this season, as they sit at just 2-6 in a loaded AFC West division. They badly need to rebuild and should be listening to calls on any player they can get a draft pick for.
Sending a fourth-rounder would be a bit rich, but San Francisco is in a bit of a tough spot, and it’s projected to get three additional fourth-round picks by dominating the compensatory pick formula once again. A conditional seventh-rounder wouldn’t likely get Las Vegas to listen, but the 49ers can’t know if they don’t ask.
Koonce is not a superstar, but he has certainly tons of upside, and he could be an instant contributor for the Niners. In a tight NFC West race, they’ll need all the help that they can get, so sending a Day 3 pick for potentially a long-term option as well does not seem too outlandish.
