One of the many positions the San Francisco 49ers will have to address during the next offseason will be the pass rush. The team has drafted defensive linemen in three of the last four years but is tied at No. 18 when it comes to sacking quarterbacks.
Until free agency and the draft arrives, general manager John Lynch and the coaching staff will be using the 49ers' final six games of the season to evaluate the talent — or lack of — currently on the roster.
Lynch joined 95.7 The Game on Tuesday morning and was asked if he believes the 49ers defense has a "game-wrecker" on it right now.
"Well, we're looking for it," Lynch responded. "I think we have guys who have the potential to be that, and we're looking for that. I think, when you're 2-8, that's what you're looking for. I think we have a lot of foundational pieces moving forward that we're excited about. And that's hard to say that when you're 2-8, but there is a lot that we're excited about.
"I think we have a great understanding of where we're going. We also have a great understanding of where we need to be better, and we've got to make that happen the rest of this year."
The 49ers tried to improve the pass rush earlier this season when they pursued a trade for Khalil Mack. The Oakland Raiders opted to send the pass rusher to the Chicago Bears rather than ship him down the I-880.
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Lynch believes the 49ers' offer was better than what the Raiders eventually accepted from the Bears.
"At times, it leads me to believe, were we ever in consideration? I understand the thought of sending him right across the Bay," Lynch explained. "I don't know how that factored in, but it is what it is. The Bears have certainly benefited from adding the services of a guy like that, and we move forward."
While Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are excited about some of the pieces currently on the team, players should also view these last six games as an audition for the future, said the general manager.
If a pass rusher is going to step up, he better do so quickly. Lynch says the 49ers will look to address the struggling pass rush both free agency and the draft.
"We have to fix that," he continued. "We have to have more edge presence. That's not a secret. The one thing that I've learned in his job, and I don't want to beat a dead horse, but we tried like heck to acquire Khalil Mack, but it didn't work out.
"You try by any means necessary to get it, but it's not easy. Guys that are free, they never become free because they're so coveted in this league. They're franchised, typically, or they work out a new deal. You have to be wise in the way you construct it in terms of free agency. But then the draft is the best opportunity to put game-changing type players (on the field)."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.