The San Francisco 49ers’ issue at edge rusher just went from bad to worse.
The Niners lost star edge rusher Nick Bosa for the season to a torn ACL, and now Bryce Huff, the team’s sacks leader, is dealing with what could be a multi-week hamstring injury.
The loss of Bosa in and of itself should spark action for a Niners team tied for the third-fewest sacks in the NFL through seven games. Huff’s injury only makes the team’s need more dire.
Zachary Rotman of FanSided has a possible solution for the Niners. He predicts the team will spring for a trade for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
A team like the San Francisco 49ers that lost Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season and could really use more help on its defensive line, could express interest in acquiring Chubb. No, Chubb isn’t the player Bosa and Warner are, but he’s an upgrade over what they have right now. The Niners have been finding ways to win in spite of the injuries, so adding a player playing as well as Chubb can lead to some potentially interesting results in January and maybe even February.
The Dolphins look like a team primed for a fire sale with the epic level of dysfunction going on in South Beach.
If a rebuild is on the menu, trading off assets to stockpile draft picks should be the approach here and trading Chubb, who is one of the team’s more valuable assets, should be an option. A late Day 2 pick is probably the ceiling for a return.
Chubb is still under contract for two more seasons, but he’s also 29 and may not be in the team’s long-term plans. Adding to that, his value may never be higher than it is now, especially if Chubb is beset by injuries down the road like he has been for much of his career.
While giving up that kind of draft capital and taking on Chubb’s contract would not exactly fall in line with the 49ers’ plans for a transition year, the fact that the Niners are reportedly interested in Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson shows there is clearly an appetite for a big move.
Chubb would amount to a massive upgrade over anyone the Niners have now, and San Francisco would be stocked at edge rusher in 2026 once Bosa comes back, as Huff is also under contract next year.
Of course, if the Niners don’t want a large chunk of their salary cap taken up by the three edge rushers, they could turn around and trade either Huff or Chubb next offseason.
