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Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett

When healthy, the San Francisco 49ers don’t have too many glaring issues with their roster.

But the problem is they’ve been perhaps the most injury-riddled team in the NFL over the last few seasons.

Injuries arguably caused San Francisco’s season to end earlier than it probably should have last year as the team was ousted in the divisional round of the playoffs by the division rival Seattle Seahawks while without star edge-rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, tight end George Kittle, receiver Ricky Pearsall, and a host of other players.

While the 49ers will get Bosa back next season, fellow defensive end Bryce Huff retired this offseason, and edge-rusher is one of, if not the top position of need for the 49ers heading into the 2026 NFL draft.

NFL Insider Encourages 49ers to Swing on Garrett

GettyCleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett has been linked to the San Francisco 49ers int trade rumors

Picking 27th overall, San Francisco could use its first-round pick on a pass-rusher like Auburn’s Keldrick Faulk, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, or Clemson’s T.J. Parker.

Or the team could flip that first-rounder (plus a lot of other picks to the Cleveland Browns for star defensive end Myles Garrett, who’s rumored to be on the trade block.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah believes not only should the 49ers go all-in on Garrett but he thinks if they did, their defensive fronts would be one of the most feared in the league.

“You talk about someone who was put on this earth to play in the scheme that the 49ers run, it would be Myles Garrett,” Jeremiah recently told KNBR.

“He would be an unbelievable fit, and I just can’t imagine a world in which a healthy Nick Bosa was on the opposite side. That would be scary indeed… I would be willing to discuss a lot of picks and a lot of different players to make that happen if he ever did become available.”

Jeremiah Not the Only One Urging 49ers to Get Garrett

GettyCleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett

While Jeremiah’s opinion carries a lot of weight in NFL circles, he’s not the only analyst pushing the 49ers to make a push for Garrett.

49ers reporter Chase Senior also made the case for San Francisco to pull the trigger on the blockbuster trade for the NFL’s single-season sack leader.

“Under (General manager) John Lynch and (head coach) Kyle Shanahan when they took over the reins in 2017, they have consistently invested in the defensive line — in particular at edge-rusher,” Senior stated.

“… So with San Francisco clearly valuing the edge-rusher spot — they’re also a team that was dead last ins acks last year — doesn’t it make sense to at least poke around and show some interest in Myles Garrett and see what that trade offer would be and to see what the Browns want?

“The 49ers this offseason have made a bunch of win-now moves. … So Myles Garrett on top of those moves would be another ultimate win-now move for San Francisco. Can you imagine what Myles Garrett and Osa Odighizuwa would be able to do on that Niners defensive line?”

Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher