Niners Nation
There are plenty of reinforcements coming back from injury and ascending players on the roster who need more playing time
Unless you live in Houston, you’re unlikely to know much about the defensive tackle the San Francisco 49ers traded for on Tuesday.
The Niners needed another body along the defensive line, so they traded for Khalil Davis of the Houston Texans.
You were left disappointed if you were hoping for Calais Campbell, D.J. Jones, or a notable name at the deadline. After watching Davis, I see that he’s flashed as a run defender but has also been easily moved off his spot. Davis does not hold up well against double teams, which is concerning. His best qualities include hustling down the line of scrimmage or ten yards down the field after the ball carrier.
As a pass rusher, Davis can effectively push the pocket with a bull rush, but he doesn’t win early or cleanly on a down-to-down basis. The 49ers hope Davis’s ability to move the quarterback off his spot by using a speed-to-power rush will translate into sacks for Nick Bosa or Leonard Floyd.
The 49ers got second-round production from Charles Omenihu and Maliek Collins — the last two defensive linemen they traded for from the Texans — for late Day 3 draft picks. While Collins was already established, Omenihu was an up-and-coming athlete with untapped potential.
49ers fans wanted a trade that moved the needle, and instead, San Francisco was only willing to give up a seventh-round pick for a defensive tackle who has not had a game this season where he played more than 50 percent of the snaps.
The lack of deals at the deadline could say more about how the team feels about the players they’re getting back and the trade market in general.
Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings will bolster the offense on third downs and in the red zone. I never bought the idea that the 49ers would trade for a wide receiver when they have two coming back this week in McCaffrey — their third and short and red zone specialist — and Jennings, whose nickname is based on keeping the offense on the field after converting a third down.
I wonder how much Randy Gregory and Chase Young left a sour taste in the Niners’ mouths when deciding whether to take on another “rental” this year. Sam Okuayinonu is an ascending player who has earned more reps while continuing to be productive. There’s no reason to take Sam O off the field on passing downs, but that would have been the case if there were a trade.
Okuayinonu’s win percentage as a pass rusher is five-tenths lower than Brian Burns and Maxx Crosby’s and better than some trade candidates like Bryce Huff, Chase Young, and Azeez Ojulari.
Since Week 4, Sam O has seen his playing time increase from 29 percent to 40, 42, and 51, only to fall to 45 percent against the Cowboys — Okuayinonu still had a...
