The 49ers are heading to Melbourne with a pass rush that looks alarmingly short on answers, and that’s putting it mildly.
San Francisco already had reason for concern before the trip across the Pacific to face the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. Nick Bosa only just got back on the practice field after missing much of camp following last year’s ACL tear.
Mykel Williams is still on the physically unable-to-perform list after his ACL tear a year ago. Then Sam Okuayinonu went down with a practice injury, leaving the 49ers with just three healthy defensive ends on their 53-man roster, Bosa included, after he did not take part in team drills all summer.
The situation is so thin that the edge depth is basically hanging by a thread.
That’s why Leonard Floyd stands out as the obvious fix still sitting on the free-agent market. San Francisco has not made him a priority, which is hard to square given the injury pileup and the lack of proven depth.
Floyd is about to turn 34 and is not the same player he was at his peak, but the 49ers do not need peak Floyd right now. They need someone who can help stabilize the edge.
And Floyd would bring more than just another body.
He spent 2024 with the 49ers before being released midway through a two-year deal as part of San Francisco’s cost-cutting moves. He then played last season for the Atlanta Falcons under Raheem Morris, who is now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Morris also knows Floyd from their time together with the Rams, so there is plenty of familiarity there.
Floyd’s 3.5 sacks in 2025 were his lowest total since 2019, but even with that drop-off, his value is clear in this spot. He knows the system, he knows the coach, and he would immediately give the 49ers a veteran option in the one area where they can least afford to be exposed.
The money should not be the problem, either. Because Floyd is still unsigned on the eve of the season, he would likely come cheap enough for San Francisco to make it happen without much strain.
The real question is timing. Could the 49ers get a deal done in time to send him on an emergency flight to Australia? That’s the part that remains uncertain.
Still, the fact that the team left a week early gives them at least a little room to work with. And if nothing else, adding Floyd would give Morris some peace of mind before an already important NFC West matchup against a top Super Bowl contender.
Right now, the 49ers should not be comfortable with what they have.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Have A Pass Rush Debate They Cant Ignore
The 49ers are dealing with an edge-rush conversation that has gone from theoretical to unavoidable, thanks to the strain injuries and roster attrition have put on their outside pressure. With the pass rush depth thinner than usual, the idea of adding a proven difference-maker has started to sound less like a luxury and more like a response to the reality around them.
Brian Baldinger pushed that thinking into the spotlight by urging San Francisco to at least explore a trade for Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, arguing the 49ers need to keep pace with the rest of the NFC West. Crosbys reputation as a disruptive force has made him the obvious name in the discussion, while other analysts have already begun weighing the kind of package it might take and whether the price, along with the risk, would be too steep for a team trying to stay in the race. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Edge Depth Gets Tested At The Worst Possible Time
The 49ers are making an early-season adjustment on the edge, bringing in Khalid Kareem from the Atlanta Falcons practice squad as they head to Melbourne. Kareem is expected to join the team there and could be available for Week 1, giving San Francisco another body at a spot that has already been hit by injury.
Sam Okuayinonus setback has left the 49ers looking for help sooner than planned, and the roster picture still is not fully settled because the team has not announced a corresponding move. For a defense that leans on depth and rotation up front, this kind of swap can matter quickly, especially with the season opener approaching on the other side of the globe. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Suddenly Have Real Trade Deadline Pressure To Go For It
The 49ers are carrying more than just urgency into the stretch run. With the most projected salary cap space for 2026 at $45.8 million, San Francisco has the kind of flexibility that can keep a contender aggressive now and nimble later. General manager John Lynch has already signaled that the club is open to trades if it believes the roster is in position to win and the move makes sense, which is exactly the kind of language that tends to get other teams listening as the deadline approaches.
Pass-rush help is the area most often mentioned around the Niners, and that alone tells you where the pressure is building. Jared Verse has been one of the names floated as a possible target, and his contract status for the next two years only adds to the intrigue for a team that wants more disruption up front without sacrificing long-term control. The question for San Francisco is no longer whether it can afford to chase a difference-maker, but whether this is the moment to spend the capital to do it. [Read more 🡒]