Niners Nation
It was an obvious move, despite not trading for a household name.
Was it a crystal ball? Astrology? Just a hunch? Whatever the source was for 49ers fans, they were dead on in predicting the 49ers would add a defensive tackle at the trade deadline. Khalil Davis was acquired as a rotational defensive tackle from Houston, the second former Texan the 49ers added with Maliek Collins in the offseason.
In our FanDuel Sportsbook-sponsored survey for the trade deadline, 43 percent of 49ers nailed the defensive tackle position in our poll asking which position the 49ers would add to on Tuesday. In years past, the 49ers have added to the defensive line at the deadline, but normally, it’s an EDGE rusher.
Javon Hargrave is out for the regular season, but it’s clear the front office is comfortable with their defensive end depth, especially with Yetur Gross-Matos’ having his 21-day practice window opened. Given Gross-Matos’ ability to rush from the interior and exterior and the emergence of Sam Okuayinonu, the 49ers feel they have enough firepower on the defensive line to make a run down the stretch.
Dalvin Tomlinson was a trade target to covet, given how the Browns season has gone, but Arden Key was someone else who has the flexibility to play inside and out like Gross-Matos with familiarity with the defensive scheme. Twenty-six percent of fans believed the team would address defensive end.
Given the reinforcements of Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, and Dre Greenlaw, only five percent of fans believed the team would add a receiver, with three percent believing the team would target a linebacker at the deadline.
An interesting data point is the 19 percent of fans who believed the team would address multiple positions. That’s a loaded answer because multiple positions could include two defensive linemen, a defensive lineman, and a receiver.
However this season plays out, it’s clear the 49ers either have confidence in the group they have or realized that spending valuable draft capital with next year’s draft class becoming important to sustain winning was too great to part with.
What are your thoughts? Should the 49ers have done more? Are you satisfied with Khalil Davis and the return of Tashaun Gipson to the practice squad? Let us know in the comments!
