The NFC West is a gauntlet heading into the 2026 NFL season, and the San Francisco 49ers may be falling behind. The Los Angeles Rams beefed up their defense with the additions of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie before the return of Aaron Donald, and the defending division and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks still look dominant.
Therefore, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger believes the 49ers must make a swing of their own and trade for Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Speaking on 95.7 The Game, Baldinger framed the trade as a necessity given what the Rams have already done on the defensive line.
"You're in an arms race with the Rams right now," Baldinger said. "This is like a military arms race trying to keep up. I don't
know that Maxx Crosby is available or could be had, I have no idea. All I know is I was at the Sack Summit in Las Vegas a month ago, and nobody could beat him off the line of scrimmage. Everybody challenged him — Jared Verse, pick a guy that was out there — nobody could beat him off the ball. Nobody. He won, and they had an open competition, Maxx — I got it on video — he beat everybody off the ball."
Baldinger also dismissed concerns about the knee issue that scuttled a trade to the Baltimore Ravens back in the spring, drawing on his own playing career for context.
"I know Baltimore basically said that his knee is shot," Baldinger said. "I don't see it. I failed a physical coming in after my sixth year, failed a physical, and played six more years. They said my knee was shot. Everybody evaluates these things differently. But I feel like if you had a chance to get Maxx Crosby, he becomes your best defensive player immediately. It's infectious, the way that he plays the game, the way that he practices. Shanahan's not going to beat him in the building. On any given day, he'll beat everybody in the building. He's got the Michael Jordan mentality."
"You're in an arms race with the Rams right now. This is like this is a military arms race trying to keep up,"@BaldyNFL supports the 49ers making a move for Maxx Crosby to keep up with the Rams defensive line (@MorningRoast957) pic.twitter.com/cQah6ly54L
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) September 1, 2026
What would it cost to acquire Crosby? The Ravens traded two first-round picks, but that package seems too pricey now given what unfolded with the deal earlier this year. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay proposed a deal built around a 2027 first-rounder, a 2027 second-rounder and a 2028 third-rounder to pry Crosby loose in the wake of the Rams' Myles Garrett trade.
However, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer urged caution with any deal, writing that he liked the idea "in principle" but preferred San Francisco wait and see how its aging core performed before selling off draft capital. Crosby himself carries a three-year, $106.5 million extension with $91.5 million guaranteed, signed after the Baltimore deal collapsed.
The 49ers need edge rushing help, though. Nick Bosa is working back from his ACL injury and Mykell Williams is already on the physically unable to perform list and won't play for at least the first four weeks of the season. That leaves a hobbled Bosa, 2026 rookie Romello Height, Sam Okuayinonu and Keion White as the only viable pass rushers on the edge at the moment for San Francisco.
Crosby would be expensive and risky, but likely worth it to remain competitive in the division.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL expert urges 49ers to trade for Maxx Crosby
