With so much turmoil going on around the San Francisco 49ers' pass-rushing group, there is a possibility the team looks at the open market to add some depth to their defense heading into the rest of the season.
The Athletic's Matt Barrows broke down four options the 49ers could target based on what specific need the team would be solving for each type of player. He named Leonard Floyd, Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa and former 49ers edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos as possible options San Francisco could sign this year.
If the team wants a dependable starter rather than a project, Floyd might be the best name to add. He's a known quantity to the 49ers front office and to defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who coached him in Atlanta in 2025. Floyd played
in San Francisco in 2024, too. He turned 34 recently and managed just 3.5 sacks for Morris' Falcons last season, but Barrows noted that the 49ers aren't exactly positioned to be choosy. Their own sack leader in 2025 finished with four.
For a team looking to add a Romello Height-type piece, or simply worried it isn't getting enough production out of Height, Barrows pointed to Reddick. He's a lighter-framed edge rusher who has played in systems similar to the one Morris is installing this season, which Barrows sees as the more natural fit than a bulk pass-rusher. Reddick is 31, played 13 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025 but only registered 2.5 sacks in Todd Bowles' defense.
Nick Bosa's older brother Joey will probably always be on this list so long as he hasn't officially retired from the NFL. There are durability concerns around the older Bosa brother over a full 17-game slate, but if the 49ers are comfortable deploying him for an eight-game stretch, then it might be worth it. Bosa produced five sacks and 54 quarterback pressures for the Buffalo Bills last season — not elite production, but more than the 49ers currently get from the spot opposite Nick.
Gross-Matos is another option with ties to the team. He played the past two seasons for the 49ers, but was marred by a knee issue that limited his snaps and practice reps. When healthy enough to play, though, he produced — Gross-Matos' 16.3 percent pass-rush win rate last season ranked second on the team, trailing only Nick Bosa's 20 percent mark.
None of these adds would cost a lot of money, and they would solve the depth issue the 49ers currently face on the defensive line with Mykell Williams still on the PUP list and Alfred Collins now out for the year.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers insider suggests 4 possible edge rusher signings
