It seemed almost certain the San Francisco 49ers would look for help to hold down the fort after Nick Bosa’s injury. Then the Buccaneers game happened, and the decisions may have gotten easier or complicated, depending on who you ask.
The 49ers lost 30-19 in a heartbreaking game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game where the loss isn’t even close to being the worst result—nor the heartbreaker. Losing linebacker Fred Warner for the season is. This is after they’ve lost their other best player on defense,
Nick Bosa, to an ACL injury. So that’s both of their best defensive players, gone for the season.
In the span of just a few weeks, the 49ers lost both of their defensive anchors — and possibly their postseason ceiling.
And before that Warner injury, the question was how the 49ers would fix the pass-rushing void left by Bosa? With the offense grinding out games without their own star players like George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, and how the defense was stopping the run, a pass rusher may have been the thing—the one thing— to take the 49ers deep into the postseason. A one-year rental with Trey Hendrickson via trade with the Cincinnati Bengals was the common idea among fans, but there were other players and teams the 49ers could look to in the trade deadline.
But now, they have two holes. And plugging one isn’t going to make the other better. Let’s not forget the issues the offensive line has running the ball.
It begs the question of whether you think the 49ers seek a trade before the NFL trade deadline.
Before Warner went down, a trade for a pass rusher felt inevitable. John Lynch even said the team was pursuing trade options, and there were reports they were checking in on getting Hendrickson.
With Warner out, everything changes. He’s arguably the team’s best player, and there’s no telling how they’ll function without him. The 49ers now face an impossible balance: stay aggressive before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, or preserve draft capital for 2026.
After what happened Sunday, a trade for an elite player at the 1-year rental is probably out. It doesn’t mean the season is over with. With that schedule and the divisional wins they have under their belts, it’s definitely possible, if not likely.
Can the 49ers win, let alone get to a Super Bowl, without both Nick Bosa and Fred Warner? That’s where it’s interesting. For that second question, it’s one of those “go big or go home,” but the 49ers have too many issues to mortgage the future on one position now. And there’s no certainty they are going to the postseason yet. Sure, making a deep run in the playoffs is preferable, but not at the cost of depleting the team’s future.
They might still go for a pass rusher and probably will. Just not one like Hendrickson in the final year of their deal. Somebody with multiple years locked down could make sense.
For a linebacker, a trade at that position might say something about their depth if anything. It’s not the isolated need the defense has to get over the hump, and they haven’t used 2025 draft pick Nick Martin at all. With Warner down, it’s time to see what the kid has.
Maybe you like to play it more riskily. Do the 49ers still look for an elite pass rusher? Even at a 1-year rental?
