The 49ers' One Indispensable Player

Not Jimmy Garoppolo, of course. He's expendable.

My dad and I were talking about who the 49ers' most indispensable player is. We agreed the options essentially are George Kittle, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams, or whoever the left tackle will be. 

Not Jimmy Garoppolo, of course. He's expendable.

But Kittle is the NFL's best tight end, Warner is the best middle linebacker, Williams is the best left tackle and Bosa was the best defensive rookie in 2019 before he tore his ACL this season. Each player is just terrific.

My dad chose Warner, because he can stop the run, he's fast, he covers running backs, tight ends and even wide receivers and he's brilliant. Almost at the level of former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Warner might know the defense as well as current defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. 

Warner calls the play in the huddle, then makes all the checks before the play as the offense shifts and motions. He makes sure the defense gets lined up correctly every play. And he's a leader.

I agree with my dad that Warner is the most valuable player on the 49ers. But I disagree that he's indispensable. That concept doesn't exist in the NFL -- n'existe pas. The 49ers can trade any player for the right price, even the most valuable ones.

If a team were to offer the 49ers three first-round picks for Warner, the 49ers would have to say yes. Same goes for Bosa. Same goes for Kittle. That's the nature of the business. Those three first-round picks can help the 49ers more than any one football player can on his own, because football players get hurt and their careers don't last long.

The 49ers absolutely should trade Bosa in a couple years before his second contract kicks in. They should not pay him $30 million per season. He is not a franchise quarterback.

The 49ers absolutely should trade Deebo Samuel before his second contract kicks in. They should not tie themselves to a receiver with bad hamstrings. And receivers are replaceable.

And if Kittle gets injured against next season, the 49ers should consider trading him, too. Because he makes too much money to miss so many games. And tight ends are replaceable.

I even understand why the 49ers traded DeForest Buckner last year. Defensive tackles are particularly replaceable. Problem is the 49ers should have gotten more for him. They settled for a measly mid-first-round pick when he was worth at least two of them.

But that's another story.