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Players the 49ers Could Target at the Trade Deadline

The 49ers desperately need defensive line help.

Grant Cohn

New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari (51), New York Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (93) and the rest of Big Blue were all smiles as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, Sunday, January 7, 2024.
New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari (51), New York Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (93) and the rest of Big Blue were all smiles as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, Sunday, January 7, 2024. / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Pacific. Here are a few players the 49ers might want to trade for.

1. New York Giants EDGE Azeez Ojulari

The 49ers have been searching in vain for a bookend pass rusher to pair with Nick Bosa since they drafted him in 2019. This offseason, they signed Leonard Floyd, who essentially has been a non-factor through eight games. Last season when the 49ers needed pass-rush help, they traded for Chase Young at the deadline. This season, they could trade for Azeez Ojulari, who's on a terrible Giants team. If they lose to the Commanders this weekend, which is likely, they could trade away their best players. The 49ers should be interested. Ojulari is only 24 years old.

2. Cleveland Browns EDGE Za'Darius Smith

Smith is 32 years old, so he would be a short-term rental. And the Browns have new life thanks to quarterback Jameis Winston, so they might not want to trade away their best pass rusher. But if they lose this weekend to the Chargers, they'll be 2-7 and might be willing to deal Smith. He would be a huge upgrade over Leonard Floyd.

3. Tennessee Titans DT Sebastian Joseph-Day

The 49ers could use a defensive tackle to replace Javon Hargrave who's on Injured Reserve with a torn triceps. Joseph-Day played for the 49ers last season, so the coaching staff is familiar with him. And he would improve their run defense and overall depth.

4. Denver Broncos DT D.J. Jones

The 49ers drafted Jones in 2017 and he was their starting nose tackle for years. In 2021, he signed with the Denver Broncos, who are currently 5-3. So they might not want to trade Jones. But he will be a free agent after this season, so the Broncos might want to get assets for him before he leaves. He's an outstanding run defender.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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