Niners Nation
Through three weeks, the San Francisco 49ers are below league average in pressure and sack rate, as well as total quarterback hits. Now they’re tasked with playing the rest of the season without their most important player.
In Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers’ pressure rate dipped from 45 percent to 28 percent without Nick Bosa on the field. Bryce Huff and Mykel Williams are producing, but it’s been slim pickings on a consistent basis outside of those two.
Yetur Gross-Matos should see a bigger workload as he gets healthier, but he’s not a player who will prevent the team from making calls and exploring who is available on the market.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes the Niners will be active ahead of the trade deadline:
Graziano: I’m looking at San Francisco, where the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch 49ers have never been shy about making big in-season moves (hello, Christian McCaffrey!) and are suffering through an incredible rash of early-season injuries. The latest, to star edge rusher Nick Bosa, falls into the irreplaceable category, but that shouldn’t stop the Niners from seeing if they can bring in another edge rusher to supplement whatever plan they have to compensate for Bosa’s loss.
Supplement is the proper way to describe what the 49ers will attempt to do around the trade deadline. We went over one potential player whom the Niners have already faced. Let’s discuss a few other players who could help the 49ers supplement the loss of Bosa.
Mike McDaniel might not be long for the job in Miami. The Dolphins are 0-3 and look lifeless. Phillips, a former first-round pick, is in a contract year. He has not played double-digit games since 2022. He tore his ACL in September 2024 after taking an accidental shot to his knee from teammate Jordan Poyer. In November 2023, Phillips tore his ACL on the notoriously bad turf at MetLife Stadium. It was a non-contact injury.
So far, so good, this season for Phillips. He’s seen an uptick in snaps in each of Miami’s first three games. Against the Buffalo Bills last Thursday, Phillips recorded a pair of run stops and a quarterback pressure. Despite those injuries, Phillips is an attractive candidate for the 49ers thanks to his size and athleticism. The 6’5″, 266-pound edge rusher plays hard. That will catch the Niners’ eye.
Philips’ pressure rate on the season is 13 percent. That puts him just under T.J. Watt and Josh Sweat, and ahead of players like Brian Burns, Danielle Hunter, and Montez Sweat.
Phillips has a win percentage of 12.5 percent. Phillips also has experience dropping into coverage, something that Robert Saleh has done on occasion with his edge rushers.
He’s a player the Niners could use and would not cost more than a Day 3 pick, given his injury history. Phillips can play:
I’ve been a fan of Phillips since he came out of college. The upside is there, and he’s the type of player...
