49ers Trade Proposal Lands Impact EDGE Defender to Fill the Nick Bosa Void
After it was revealed that Nick Bosa was going to miss the remainder of the 2025 NFL season due to injury, many wondered how the San Francisco 49ers‘ pass rush was going to look with the former All-Pro in the lineup. Unfortunately, the Niners’ worst nightmares were realized when the defense was unable to produce a single sack in their 26-21 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This has one NFL writer believing the 49ers could be an ideal trade partner for an impact EDGE defender ahead of the trade deadline.
New Orleans Saints EDGE Carl Granderson Named a Top Trade Option for San Francisco 49ers
John Sigler of Saints Wire recently delved into the plethora of players who could be dealt ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline for the winless New Orleans Saints. Carl Granderson was one of those names mentioned in his article, which prompted Sigler to suggest the San Francisco 49ers could be a realistic trade destination for the Wyoming product.
Sigler wrote, “They’re holding on with a 3-1 record, but the San Francisco 49ers could use some help after Nick Bosa’s season-ending injury. The 49ers are tied for the fourth-fewest sacks through four games (with five of them). Just one team, the Carolina Panthers, has a worse pressure rate than San Francisco. Granderson would be a big upgrade for them. And with several compensatory picks coming their way in 2026, the 49ers can afford to overpay a little.
Granderson has never recorded more than 8.5 sacks in a single season, but is on pace for 18 sacks through the first month of the season with 4.5 sacks through his first four games in 2025.
Sigler added, “Granderson restructured his contract this offseason, so any team trading for him would be on the hook for just the minimum salary the rest of the season. He’s also under contract for 2026 and 2027 with manageable base salaries of $10.75 million in each year. That’s well worth the cost of a starting defensive end with 33 career sacks. He’ll turn 30 next year.”
The financial aspect of this acquisition could make sense for the 49ers if they are looking for a potential short-term fix with long-term upside at the EDGE position. Bryce Huff could use a pass-rushing partner with rookie Mykel Williams currently sitting at zero sacks on the season while dealing with a wrist and oblique injury.
The 49ers have pressured the quarterback on just 11.6% of dropbacks this season, which is the second-lowest mark in the league. The injury to Bosa is likely to make that number worse, not better, moving forward.
Other Trade Options the 49ers Could Explore Ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline
After a 2-0 start, the Cincinnati Bengals have looked completely helpless with Jake Browning over the last two contests — which makes Trey Hendrickson potentially worth a phone call from John Lynch.
The finances of Hendrickson feel far less appealing than Granderson, but the elite sack production from the Bengals veteran defender — who has 35 total over the last two full seasons — make him feel like a bit more of a known commodity when giving up future assets to bring in an impact player.
Sturm’s Third-Line Experiment Fizzles in Preseason Shake-Up
The Boston Bruins' third line on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers made a ton of sense on paper. It featured Fraser Minten, who projects as the team's two-way center of the future, who brings defensive reliability and is still searching for his offensive upside. Minten's wingers should've been able to bring out that offensive upside, as Matej Blumel funnels shots at the net at a high volume, and Matt Poitras is the prototypical playmaker.
The line's experience should give fans and the coaching staff some caution about expecting the trio to be a line in the regular season. It'd be hard for them to comfortably play 82 games at the NHL level without expectations of some regression and nights where they struggle. However, in a season where there are few expectations for the Bruins, it could be the perfect year to feature this line and build it up as a potential third, and eventually second, line of the future.
Well, the line lasted only two periods. Poitras moved up to the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha, while Viktor Arvidsson moved down with Minten and Blumel. I don't disagree with that move either, as the concept of Arvidsson automatically getting a second-line spot didn't seem right. He brings a speed and tenacity that could fit alongside Minten and Blumel while also lending some veteran leadership.
Head coach Marco Sturm's comments post-game make me think that he really wants Monday night's third line to work. It's too late in the preseason for him to be throwing lines together just for the sake of doing it, and it feels like the coaching staff feels that this line could work on paper as well. The challenge will be for the trio to actually show it on the ice.
"“They practice so hard and so well the whole time, and I feel like in games, they think too much. So, I gotta get them out of that.”"Marco Sturm
It raises an interesting question. While everyone thinks that those three are vying for the final spots in camp, is there a chance that the trio will be Providence's first line to start the season? Considering the lack of expectations, an idea for the front office is to gel them as a line in the AHL and then recall them all to Boston at the same time at a later date. They wouldn't be the first team to implement that strategy.
