It's not "the same old song and dance" for DeForest Buckner anymore. But it is one with which he's familiar.
A week and a half after he aired out his frustrations with the Indianapolis Colts' continued struggles, the defensive tackle was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The move sends the three-time Pro Bowler back to the franchise with which he began his career and played with from 2016-19.
In San Francisco, the 32-year-old links up with an established contender looking to create more havoc up front after suffering its first loss of the season. The Colts, meanwhile, continue to part with veteran pieces after sending offensive guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks earlier in the day.
How did each team fare in the deal? Here are our grades for both sides:
49ers grade: B
Like their NFC West counterpart in the Seahawks, the 49ers didn't seem likely to stand pat at the trade deadline. Heading into their bye, they reunited with a familiar figure in Buckner.
The 6-7, 295-pounder isn't the stout run-stuffer that the defense lost in Alfred Collins just before the season started. Still, he can a force multiplier for a line that has languished at times. Buckner has notched four sacks this season, but he hasn't been particularly consistent in disrupting, as his 8.3% pressure rate is his lowest since 2021. It's hard to tell, however, how much of that is a product of playing on a line that didn't pose much of a threat elsewhere, as Indianapolis ranks a distant last in team pressure rate at 24.4%, according to Next Gen Stats.
With Osa Odighizuwa having arrived this offseason via trade, San Francisco has made a fairly substantial investment on a defensive interior that didn't receive many resources after Buckner left in 2019. Together, the two certainly make for an imposing pair for opposing lines to keep in front of them.
After last season's pass rush proved unable to overcome a devastating spate of injuries, the 49ers understandably were interested in making sure the unit didn't run out of gas down the stretch. With Nick Bosa potentially coming back after the bye, this group could round into form soon. But it might need to be a group effort given the uncertainty of just how much juice Bosa and Mykel Williams can provide off the edge, so it's understandable if John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan felt a boost was required for a unit that ranks sixth-worst in pressure rate.
San Francisco might want to keep Buckner relatively fresh, but that shouldn't be difficult given that fifth-round rookie Gracen Halton has shown plenty of promise. Now, the rotation resembles that of a true contender.
Colts grade: B
Cashing in on players who no longer hold a place in the organization's future is simply good business for Indianapolis. After Buckner neared his breaking point in a loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans, a split was the right move for both sides.
Things might get even more dicey for a defensive line that hasn't been able to derail opposing passing attacks this season. But hyperathletic fourth-year defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore has shown immense potential in limited work, notching four sacks on just 92 pass-rush snaps. Indianapolis surely would benefit from giving him a longer run to figure out if he's part of the defense's next chapter.
Another mid-round pick will help provide needed flexibility in the draft for Chris Ballard's successor. And with Buckner having been sidelined by a back injury last season, there was no real opportunity to move on from him until he demonstrated early this season he could still contribute to a contender.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who won the DeForest Buckner trade? 49ers, Colts heading in different directions
