The San Francisco 49ers continue to win games despite their laundry list of injuries on both sides of the ball.
Fresh off an impressive 20-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, the short-handed 49ers once again lost multiple starters for the foreseeable future.
The NFC West Division sees a logjam of three 5-2 teams plus the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals. With the division up for grabs, 49ers' general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan may be more prone to becoming buyers ahead of the NFL trade deadline rather than standing pat, hoping to weather the injury storm and remain upright on the other side.
Despite Sunday's impressive victory, the 49ers are expected to be without edge rusher Bryce Huff and center Jake Brendel for a couple of weeks with hamstring injuries.
Huff had been coming off arguably his most impressive game as a 49er, having recorded five pressures, a sack, and five tackles as the de facto top pass-rusher with Nick Bosa out for the season with a torn ACL. In addition to his sack, Huff also forced an intentional grounding penalty on Falcons signal-caller Michael Penix with one of his pressures.
On Sunday night, it was Huff leading the defensive line in snaps played with 45, followed by Sam Okuayinonu with 44, and Mykel Williams with 42.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been masterful since rejoining the 49ers, but at some point, the lack of overall talent due to injury will be insurmountable for the 49ers if left untreated.
San Francisco's young secondary will likely suffer the most down the stretch. Not only are the 49ers forced to operate without Bosa and Huff, but they're also missing the heartbeat of the defense and arguably the top middle linebacker in the game, Fred Warner, due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
Warner is irreplaceable, but much to my surprise, Tatum Bethune, a former seventh-round draft selection, stepped in, making his first start of the season on Sunday evening, and performed exceptionally well.
The expected multiple-week absence of Huff leaves the 49ers in a bit of a pickle.
So, what should the 49ers do? Ride this out and hope to survive the next two or three weeks by continuing to find ways to win ball games with Okuayinonu and Williams on the edges?
The 49ers will travel to Houston to take on the struggling Texans, followed by a trip to the Big Apple to square off with the Giants, before returning home for a big tilt with the Los Angeles Rams.
Should the 49ers look to make a blockbuster trade ahead of the November 4th deadline? If they opt for an impactful player at the deadline, I can only assume that it would be someone under contract for multiple years rather than just a rental.
Maxx Crosby's name continues to circulate, although he'd be nothing more than a pipedream for the 49ers. There are a lot of questions about a hypothetical trade: Can Lynch and company afford and be willing to move the freight required to add a player of Crosby's caliber? The conversation would undoubtedly begin with two first round draft selections plus a bunch more.
You could justify the steep price to acquire Crosby, considering he's under contract through 2029, following his massive three-year offseason extension worth $106.5 million, of which $91.5 million is guaranteed.
With the Raiders once again falling off a cliff, it wouldn't be out of the question for Crosby to request a trade. A blockbuster deal for Crosby would also align and extend San Francisco's current window to win a championship, given that their core players, including George Kittle, Warner, Bosa, Trent Williams, and Christian McCaffrey, are all aging.
Will Lynch be interested in making a lower-impact move to help patch up a few holes?
I am currently behind a keyboard for a reason and not in a position to make an impactful decision for the 49ers. However, if I were in charge, I'd be inclined to improve the team's offensive line.
Losing a starting center is less than ideal, but Brendel has struggled mightily at times over his career. Former Falcon Matt Hennessy took over at center following Brendel's injury and held up reasonably well, allowing just one pressure.
The 49ers have also withstood the Dominick Puni roller coaster during the first half of the season. Puni has shown flashes of brilliance and, at times, has floundered. I have concerns about the interior of the offensive line's ability to hold up and perform adequately down the stretch, so enhancing the offensive line, if possible, should be strongly considered.
Names to watch over the next two weeks that the 49ers should be considering are: Jaelan Phillips (Edge), Jermaine Johnson (Edge), Arden Key (Edge), Logan Wilson (LB), and Evan Neal (OL).