Feb. 25, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PT

One of the San Francisco 49ers‘ top priorities this offseason will be overhauling their pass rush. The good news for them is the list of trade options and free agents on the defensive line should be vast.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz ran through a list of players who could all be in for a change of scenery this offseason. Among that list of players were a slew of defensive ends who could all make a ton of sense for the 49ers. There are trade candidates and players due to hit the free agent market who should help San Francisco fix its pass rush problem without breaking the bank or costing them big-time draft capital.

Free agent: Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson

There was a distinct possibility Hendrickson would be a 49er before last season’s trade deadline. San Francisco didn’t take any big swings on the trade market, however, and Hendrickson stayed put in Cincinnati to play out his deal. Now he’s a free agent coming off a season where he played in only seven games and posted his fewest sacks (4.0) since the 2018 season when he played only five games for the New Orleans Saints. Hendrickson appears to be on his way out of Ohio, and if the 49ers are looking for a short-term boost to their pass rush, Hendrickson would certainly provide that.

Trade candidate: Pittsburgh Steelers DE Nick Herbig

Herbig carries big-time upside entering his fourth year. He has 16.0 sacks across his first three seasons in Pittsburgh despite starting only 11 of the 45 games he’s played. The former fourth-round pick began his career playing just 17 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps, but that number has now ticked up to 60 percent after he started a career-high six games a season ago. With TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith entrenched as starters along the edge for Pittsburgh, the Steelers may be willing to move Herbig before he hits the unrestricted free agent market next offseason. He’s a little undersized to be a traditional 4-3 DE at 6-2, 240 pounds, but new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would love to have a 24-year-old with upside coming off the edge as he revamps the 49ers’ pass rush.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Trade candidate: Denver Broncos DE Jonah Elliss

Elliss is in a similar spot to Herbig, but he’s younger and doesn’t have quite the production. The 22-year-old has yet to start in 30 games across two seasons for the Broncos. He has 7.5 sacks in those two years while playing 38 percent of the snaps in both seasons. This wouldn’t be a splashy trade if Denver is willing to move off their third-round pick from two years ago. However, Elliss would give the 49ers a potential long-term starter whose arrow is still trending up despite not putting up huge numbers in his first two years. San Francisco would need to make more additions to their pass rush if they acquired Elliss, but his name is one to keep an eye on.

Trade candidate: Kansas City Chiefs DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

The Chiefs may be ready to pull the plug on their 2023 first-round pick. He has three starts in 30 games as a pro with 3.0 sacks. He missed all of the 2025 campaign with a hamstring injury and with the final year of his rookie deal coming, it would make sense if Kansas City was ready to cut their losses and acquire a pick to deal Anudike-Uzomah. San Francisco needs to find players with upside on the edge to fill out their depth chart and a former first-round pick who hasn’t really gotten a shot to be a regular starter is the exact type of player they should target.

Free agent: Dallas Cowboys DE Sam Williams

Dallas selected Williams in the second round of the 2022 draft and he quickly made an impact with 8.5 sacks in 32 games in his first two years. His third season was derailed by an ACL tear in training camp and his production dipped when he returned. Last season he had just 1.0 sacks in 17 games (five starts). A former second-round pick looking to rebuild value has been the kind of player the 49ers have targeted to fill out their depth chart in the past. Williams wouldn’t likely break the bank while bringing a higher ceiling than most of the defensive ends the 49ers rolled out last season.

More 49ers: 49ers ‘not anticipating’ to use franchise tag on this starter in 2026