The NFL trade deadline is still a couple of weeks away. However, at 3-3, the San Francisco 49ers might start examining their depth chart more closely and determining how they can bolster some positions.
While head coach Kyle Shanahan is focused on the Kansas City Chiefs, he and general manager John Lynch regularly speak about roster needs, factoring in players who are expected to return from injuries. For example, the team could get tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (groin) back this week. All signs point towards running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) possibly returning after the bye week.
For now, Lynch and his staff are in charge of examining trade options.
"They try to get all the options out there, and sometimes there's options, sometimes there's not," Shanahan said last week. "So it doesn't mean, just because you have issues, you can go get someone. But every once in a while, the stars align, something could work. Hopefully, if there is something that can help us, we'll figure that out."
The 49ers have reportedly shown interest in Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. The level of that interest remains unknown. Maybe they just inquired about the veteran player. Adding McCaffrey feels too splashy a move for the 49ers, given their recent history, and of course, their lack of premium draft capital.
Longtime 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows of The Athletic was asked what moves, if any, Lynch and Shanahan might make. He threw out a few realistic options for the Niners. The first is a move for a right tackle of the future, like New England's Isaiah Wynn or Philadelphia's Andre Dillard. Mike McGlinchey is in the final year of his rookie deal—the fifth-year option the 49ers picked up last offseason.
If they are interested in dealing with Carolina, Barrows suggests defensive tackle Derrick Brown as an option. Former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw cannot stay on the field. He is currently dealing with a setback with his surgically repaired knee.
What about another tight end? There have been offseasons when the 49ers looked into adding another skilled veteran tight end to pair with George Kittle. The drop-off from Kittle to those behind him on the depth chart is significant, and Kittle has missed 13 games over the past three seasons due to injuries.
Noting that it seems unlikely, the 49ers beat writer feels another former Hawkeye, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson, would be a perfect fit for Shanahan's offense.
"He's perhaps the most Kittle-like tight end outside of San Francisco," wrote Barrows, "he'd fit perfectly with the team's offensive ethos and he's currently on a bad team that may want to invest in draft picks. A second-rounder for Hockenson? Totally worth it. I'd throw in a couple of sixths, too."
Click here to read Barrows' entire mailbag feature for The Athletic.