The San Francisco 49ers are high on second-year defensive end Drake Jackson, who has impressed teammates and coaches by adding some bulk this offseason. Still, that doesn't mean the team will be content with entering the 2023 season with Nick Bosa bookending one side of the defensive line and hoping someone emerges as a legitimate force on the other side.
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After signing Javon Hargrave to partner with Arik Armstead in the interior, could the Niners trade for a pass rusher to complement the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports seems to think so.
Last week, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated speculated that the Washington Commanders might consider trading former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. The Commanders declined to exercise the 24-year-old defensive end's fifth-year option, with defensive linemen Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen earning significant money. That means Young is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
That's where Benjamin believes the 49ers come in. He named the Bay Area team among seven organizations that seem like "logical suitors" for Bosa's former Ohio State teammate (h/t Peter Panacy of Niners Noise for the find).
"Nick Bosa is about to command lucrative money as the headliner of their pass-rushing group," wrote Benjamin, "and they just paid a fortune for Javon Hargrave to join the interior, but after losing both Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu in free agency, they could stand to add depth off the edge. San Francisco relies so much on its 'D' while sticking to the ground on offense, so John Lynch might be willing to bet on the long-term upside."
Benjamin also names the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears as hypothetical suitors.
OverTheCap.com lists the 49ers with nearly $10.7 million in salary cap space. As Panacy notes in his column, Young is slated to earn almost $11 million this season. However, a team acquiring him would only be responsible for $5.32 million.
Young has missed 22 games in the two seasons following his 7.5-sack rookie campaign in 2020.