Niners Nation
Are 49ers still looking for an edge? Five deals that make sense as deadline nears (paywall)
“The price tag on the more-interesting Bradley Chubb is not steep at all — the prorated amount of the veteran’s minimum, thanks to a reworked contract — but the problem is the incentives and bonuses written back into the contract for snaps played and sacks. No good.
Jaelen Phillips is three years younger than Chubb and out of our price range. That leaves us with Judon, who is 33 and doesn’t have a sack this season but had 15.5 for the Patriots in 2022. Give him 20 snaps a game and hope something clicks….Jermaine Johnson, a first-round pick to the Jets in 2022, would be a good fit. He’s 26, he’s signed through 2026 and he had strong production — 7 1/2 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss — in 2023, his last full season under Saleh. He’d be pricey, however. Could he be exchanged for Brown and a fourth-round pick?
An easier acquisition might be Micheal Clemons, a Jets fourth-rounder in 2022. He’s not signed for next season, and he’s never made a big splash as a pass rusher. But he’s a Saleh favorite and seems obtainable. Clemons for a sixth-round pick in 2027? Who says no?“
NFL insider names additional players 49ers reportedly calling about “Russini didn’t specify if the 49ers had called about Chubb and Judon, but it appears they are interested in Phillips, the fifth-year player out of the University of Miami. Phillips is one of the Dolphins’ better players, and would help a 49ers’ defense that is struggling to get to the quarterback. Phillips has three sacks and seven QB hits this season.
The 49ers have also been linked to Jets DL Jermaine Johnson. But according to Russini, New York is asking for a second-round pick or better. That makes Johnson less likely to be added to the 49ers. Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have been adamant about not mortgaging the team’s future just to help the 2025 team.“
49ers have MetLife turf nightmares. Would they still use Brock Purdy in emergency? (paywall)
“The possibility that Purdy plays Sunday if a banged-up Jones can’t finish a full game raises the question: Why potentially put the $265 million franchise centerpiece in harm’s way at a venue with a historically controversial playing surface when his variant of turf toe has yet to fully heal?
“No, (the toe) is not fully healthy,” Shanahan confirmed Friday.
Purdy already aggravated the toe injury once. He has yet to dress in any of his missed games throughout what has been a prolonged recovery. Even as his practice participation intensifies, MetLife may not be the place to push it.
Shanahan asserted the 49ers have been more careful about ramping up Purdy’s practice regimen in recent weeks: “Can he hurt it again? Yes. … He didn’t get all the starter this week. As soon as he had a chance to get through practice...
