The San Francisco 49ers traded for Keion White, but that was the extent of the 6-3 Niners’ moves ahead of the deadline. As expected, the 49ers were rumored to be in on the bidding war for New York Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson. The asking price of a second-round pick ended up being too steep, leading to the team standing pat with one trade.
We believe the 49ers understood who they are this season, and that was not a defense one player away from making a difference. With that in mind, let’s discuss the Winners and Losers for the 49ers from the trade deadline.
Brown is under contract through the 2026 season, but some still speculate he may be on the move after the team drafted Marques Sigle. The thought was that the Niners have a pair of box safeties, and one has to go.
That train of thought was incorrect, regardless of whether Tig was traded. At his best, Brown is playing free safety. Since taking over as a full-time starter a few weeks ago, Brown has primarily played the deep safety role for Saleh’s defense.
The closer he is to the line of scrimmage, the more chances of a missed tackle, which we’ve seen these past two weeks. However, focusing on the missed tackles and ignoring the plays Brown has made in the run or on the ball feels like cherry-picking. One play aside, Brown has done an admirable job of preventing the big play. He’s done a good job this season.
It’s one thing to lose your job to a high draft pick. For example, Robert Beal couldn’t have been upset if the team landed Jermaine Johnson, a top pick under Saleh’s tenure with the Jets. But the idea that Logan Wilson, a player who lost his spot on one of the worst defenses in the NFL, was going to come in and magically transform into a quality player was fool’s gold.
Wilson has shown little ability to cover, run, or make plays. Other than that, the Cowboys got a good one.
We’re not telling you Bethune is the next Fred Warner. He’s going to be tested this week against Sean McVay in ways he couldn’t imagine. Still, Bethune’s style of play and aggression against the run is impressive for any player, let alone a second-year seventh-rounder. There was no evidence that Wilson was an upgrade over Bethune.
In a pinch, Alfred Collins has bumped out to the edge. But that’s not where you want your 330-pound nose tackle living. “Hey Clelin, I know last week was the first time you’ve played in a month. But we’re going to double your snap count moving forward, at the very least.” – Kris Koucrek to Ferrell, probably.
It’s a numbers game, and the 49ers told us they’d rather play somebody they signed on Wednesday over Robert Beal. Ferrell won’t have a sack a game, but if he generates a pressure or two, pitches in a run stop, all while giving Sam Okuayinonu and Keion White a breather, Ferrell will have done his job.
Ferrell will likely play 20-30 snaps a game, an opportunity he wouldn’t have had if the Niners pulled off another deal at the deadline.
Welcome back to the Bay Area, Robert Saleh. For your first test, you’ll be tasked with holding opponents under four touchdowns without your two best players. Oh, and there are no guarantees you’ll have a semblance of a pass rush because your defensive line has dropped like flies all season.
In Week 1, with everybody on the field, Sam Okuayinonu played 30 percent of the snaps. Last week, with the defensive line in a much worse spot, Sam O was on the field for 71 percent of the snaps. This season, Okuayinonu has played at least 70 percent of the snaps three times and was in the 60th percentile in three other games.
It’s rare for him to get a break, and that’s unlikely to change unless Clelin Ferrell morphs into his 2023 self. The workload for Sam O mirrors Nick Bosa. He’s effectively played that role, where he’s asked to be the top run defender and also get after the passer at a high clip.
To Okuayinonu’s credit, there have been flashes. He had five pressures and a sack against the Giants. He had three pressures and a sack two weeks ago against the Falcons. The worry is that he wears down in the second half without any competent bodies behind him.
And that’s where not having a Jermaine Johnson, Bradley Chubb, or even a Yetur Gross-Matos available comes into play. Now, the starters are on the field an extra series or two, and we’re talking about a 49ers defense that is typically on the field for 8-10 plays a drive. That takes a toll on your body, especially with how hard Sam O plays on a snap-to-snap basis.
Eddy Pinero has been unexpectedly awesome. We’re no longer wasting our time discussing a kicker, as the 49ers finally have one who does their job. But if Pinero is winning any Special Teams Player of the Month awards moving forward, that’s probably not a good sign.
It’s unfair to set last week’s performance as the expectation for the 49ers offense, because they won’t play the Giants every week. While 34 points a game is far-fetched, what can’t happen is 15, 20, 19 — the points the Niners scored in the three previous games. That’s not going to cut it with the current state of the Niners’ defense.
The good news is the 49ers face the 9th-easiest schedule moving forward. The passing offense has hovered around the top 8-10 range, while Christian McCaffrey has managed to pull the rushing offense out of the dumps and into 10th.
Moving the ball on a per-drive basis hasn’t been an issue. Finding the end zone has. To date, the 49ers are 22nd in the NFL in touchdowns per drive, a smidge higher than the Carolina Panthers. Of course, not having George Kittle for a long stretch didn’t help. The big-play ability of Ricky Pearsall was missed. And one of these weeks, Brandon Aiyuk will return.
We know what the offense is capable of, but they haven’t done it yet. The schedule will allow the 49ers to find their footing offensively, but this is a team that’s second in the NFL in field goals per drive and 20th in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage.
When it counts, against the best of the best, they’re going to have to level up. Having the starting quarterback healthy will go a long way, but Kyle Shanahan acknowledged Brock Purdy’s turf toe will have lingering effects all season.
With all of that said, Shanahan is a savant and one of, if not the very best, at his job. The 49ers will be in a position to score points. Whether they capitalize or not is a different story.