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The San Francisco 49ers were one of the NFL’s most impressive teams a season ago. San Francisco went surprisingly far in the playoffs despite dealing with multiple major injuries to important players. If the 49ers can get healthy in 2026, there’s legitimate reason to believe they could compete for a Super Bowl.
But everything changed on Monday when the Rams acquired Myles Garrett in a trade with the Browns. Now the Rams look destined to make it to Super Bowl 61 and are the early favorite to win the big game.
Perhaps the most upset player on the 49ers is left tackle Trent Williams. The 37-year-old veteran will be one of the players tasked with stopping Garrett twice a year.
Williams did not hold back when giving his reaction to the Garrett trade.
“Same as everybody, everybody that’s not in Rams country. It sucks,” Williams said, per Vic Tafur.
The 49ers will get a look at Garrett right away, as they face off against the Rams in Week 1 from Australia.
“Myles, the scary part is he’s still a young player, so he’s still going to get better,” Williams continued, per 49erswebzone. “I know it’s scary after seeing what he did last year. I’m never expecting to run into the same player. I know that we see him Week 1 in Australia. He probably will be a little bit better than he was the last time I seen him.”
Now San Francisco looks like they could be behind in the NFC West arms race. Is there a way that they can close the gap before the regular season?
The 49ers need to make one move to keep up with the Rams after Monday’s huge Garrett trade.
The first step for the 49ers is figuring out the best way they can improve their roster after the Garrett trade.
While it is possible for San Francisco to pull off a big trade of their own, that may not be the smartest approach. The 49ers would have to pay a premium for an elite player, and perhaps even a bit extra with every other team understanding why the trade is happening right now.
If the 49ers remain patient, they can make a concerted effort to add Garrett neutralizers during the 2027 offseason. But for now, overpaying is a mistake.
There’s also the question: would the 49ers get the best results from upgrading their offense, or adding a monster like Garrett on their defense?
Adding on offense feels like the obvious decision. After all, San Francisco’s offense is the unit at risk of getting steamrolled by Garrett. The 49ers could upgrade the offensive line, building a wall in front of the star pass rusher. Or they could opt for more firepower at the skill positions. That would essentially be San Francisco acknowledging that each game against LA will become a shootout.
Meanwhile, the 49ers could fight fire with fire and add...
