By Jordan Long
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers improved to 6-0, beating the Washington Redskins 9-0. With the NFL trade deadline on October 29th, the 49ers are looking to improve their team for the run to the playoffs. One position they would like to upgrade is wide receiver.
The 49ers could use another wide out for the quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to toss the football to. The leader in yards receiving for San Francisco isn’t even a wide receiver, it’s tight end George Kittle who has 376 yards. Deebo Samuel is the leading wide receiver with 168 yards. The 49ers could look to trade for A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, or DeVante Parker.
Taylor Gabriel is the only one on the list that wouldn’t make since. The Bears are still in the race at 3-3 to make the playoffs as one of the wild card teams in the NFC. They are 3 games back of the Green Bay Packers for 1st place in the NFC North Division. Gabriel is also not going to hit free agency for a few more years. The 49ers would have to pay him $5.5 million next year and $6.5 million in 2021. The 49ers should stay away from him.
Green, Sanders, Sanu, and Parker are all going to be free agents after this season. Green is probably the best wide receiver out of all of them. He can make catches for large gains. Green uses his speed to miss tackles. He totaled 8,907 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns in his 9-year NFL career. His average yards per catch is an impressive 14.8 yards
The problem with acquiring Green is he hasn’t played a single down this season. He is recovering from torn ligaments in his ankle. Who knows what kind of player Green will be when he comes back. Green may struggle because he might not be in football shape.
Sanu hasn’t played well for the Falcons this year. He is having trouble running a route to be open for quarterback Matt Ryan. Sanu is still making plays with 313 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. If Atlanta ships him off to San Francisco, Sanu can help this team. The downside is he hasn’t gone over the 1,000 yard receiving mark in his career.
Sanders might be the best wide receiver who makes the most sense. Denver looks like a team rebuilding and it may be time for Denver to let Sanders go. They could lose him in the offseason for nothing. This at least gives Denver a chance to receive something back for him, even if it is a 4th round pick.
The Broncos sit at 2-5. They don’t look like a team who is going to turn their season around. They have young wide receivers in Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton who are the future. Letting Sanders go to the 49ers gives them a chance to shine.
DeVante Parker could be the wide receiver the 49ers acquire. The Dolphins haven’t won a game yet and may look to gain draft picks to build for the future. Parker hasn’t flourished in Miami this year with 284 yards receiving. He would help the 49ers in the red zone. His size at 6 foot 3 inches allows him to outjump defensive backs for touchdowns, extending the 49ers lead.
San Francisco has plenty of options to enhance their wide receiver core. They know in order to make a deep playoff run, the wide receivers will make a difference. It is General Manager John Lynch’s job to call these franchises to negotiate a trade. If the price is right, then make an agreement otherwise stick to the team they have.
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