The San Francisco 49ers failed to generate consistent pressure against Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday, finishing without a sack and registering only five total pressures. That's a dramatic drop-off from their 18-per-game average entering Week 4.
It's no coincidence that the struggles have mounted since the team lost star defensive end Nick Bosa, who suffered his second season-ending ACL injury of his NFL career. His absence has fueled speculation that the 49ers may need outside help to bolster their underperforming pass rush—a belief reinforced by Sunday's lackluster performance in the trenches.
When asked if San Francisco should pursue Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson via a trade, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger didn't hesitate to stress the urgency to make a move.
"Well, I don't know if he's available, and I don't know if they can afford the contract, but I would make the phone call," Baldinger said during a conversation on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "If I was [49ers GM] John Lynch, I would be calling Cincinnati. I'd be calling Cincinnati to see what I could do.
"I wouldn't be sitting pat with what I have on that team right now. I would be combing this whole league. If you're serious about winning this division, with the injuries that they've had—today's Tuesday—I'd have five players in there, working them out, right now. They need reinforcements."
During a Monday morning conference call, head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the team's struggles to pressure Lawrence on Sunday.
"We didn't blitz a ton in the game," Shanahan said. "When we did, there was pressure, and he got rid of it. I would love to have gotten more on him, but I thought they (the Jaguars) did a good job of getting rid of it quick. And when they didn't, I thought we had four-man rushes where they were chipping and had double teams, so it depended a little bit more on coverage that way."
For now, the 49ers will need in-house contributors to step up. That means players like Bryce Huff, Yetur Gross-Matos, and rookie Mykel Williams must rise to the occasion as San Francisco looks to control the trenches without Bosa.
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