The San Francisco 49ers were still working the phones right up to the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and their final move wound up being the one that mattered most: landing six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts on deadline day.
But that wasn’t the only name on their board.
In an ESPN piece published Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano broke down some of the biggest deadline moves and what they were hearing behind the scenes. For San Francisco, Fowler reported that the team had been searching for help at tight end before settling on Allen.
“Jeremy and Dan share what they’re hearing, answer big questions, hand out useful fantasy football nuggets and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 10,” they wrote.
According to Fowler, Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram was one of the players the 49ers had on their radar. In the end, though, San Francisco chose Allen instead. Fowler noted that Allen’s size gives the offense some of the same possibilities the team may have been chasing at tight end.
“The 49ers looked around for tight end help, and the Broncos’ Evan Engram was on their radar,” Fowler said, specifically. “But they landed on Keenan Allen, who’s a bigger receiver and perhaps serves some of the same functions in the offense.”
Now the focus shifts to the stretch run, where the biggest question is how the new pieces fit. For the 49ers, that integration will go a long way toward determining how much they can improve from here.
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Broncos Just Raised A Bigger J.K. Dobbins Question
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What makes that more interesting now is how the Broncos arrived at Dobbins as their primary runner in the first place. A potential move for Jonathan Taylor from the Colts fell apart, leaving Denver to keep Dobbins as the lead option and raising the bigger question of whether the front office sees him as a long-term fit or simply the best answer available at the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Bye Week Could Reshape The Line In Front Of Bo Nix
The Broncos are heading into their bye week with a familiar problem staring them in the face: the offensive line in front of Bo Nix has not been good enough. Sean Payton has acknowledged the issues after the game against the Chiefs, and the numbers around Denvers run game reflect it, with the team lagging near the bottom in conversion rate and yards per carry.
What makes the timing interesting is that the break gives Denver a chance to tinker before the next game, against the Raiders, and there is already outside buzz about a possible reshuffle up front. Columnist Troy Renck has pointed to Ben Powers, Alex Palczewski and Luke Wattenberg as names to watch, which suggests the Broncos may not just be looking for better blocking, but a different mix altogether. [Read more 🡒]