The 49ers may look settled on paper, but there’s still room for John Lynch to nudge this roster in a better direction before next season kicks off. If he wants to get creative, he can start by dialing up a few familiar faces around the league and seeing whether a trade can solve some lingering issues.
One of the clearest spots worth attention is safety. San Francisco’s group at that position had its rough patches last year, and the team appears set to mostly roll forward with the same collection in 2026.
The Niners did add Ashtyn Davis, which gives the room some extra competition, but that still leaves the door open for a stronger move. Amani Hooker would fit that bill.
The Titans safety, now 28, has been with Tennessee since 2019 and turned in five interceptions in 2024. For a 49ers secondary that could use another playmaker, that’s the kind of addition worth exploring.
A deal could come in the form of a draft pick, or San Francisco might be willing to let Robert Saleh choose between Ji’Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle as part of the return.
The running back room is another place where Lynch could keep working the phones. San Francisco already made one move with Washington last year, landing Brian Robinson Jr., so there’s at least some recent history there.
This time, the target would be Jerome Ford. Washington just signed him this offseason, but Ford would give the 49ers a layer of insurance if Kaelon Black and Jordan James don’t prove ready.
Ford rushed for 813 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 with the Cleveland Browns, and he’s also shown he can handle work as a receiver out of the backfield. If Commanders general manager Adam Peters is willing to help, the Niners could strengthen the depth chart without asking for a headline-grabbing price.
Then there’s the big swing: Danielle Hunter. That one would be a major haul and a long shot, but it’s the kind of move that would change the conversation around San Francisco’s pass rush in a hurry.
Hunter had 15 sacks last season, and pairing him with Nick Bosa would give the 49ers a front that can wreck games. The edge spot opposite Bosa remains unsettled, and Hunter would turn that question into a strength.
It would cost plenty to get him, but the payoff would be obvious.
Lynch has connections scattered throughout the league, and there’s still time for him to see whether any of those relationships can produce one more move.
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The 5 Most Underappreciated 49ers Of The Shanahan Era
Kyle Shanahans run in San Francisco has produced plenty of familiar stars, but the conversation around the 49ers often leaves out the players who made the whole thing work a little smoother. Emmanuel Sanders helped steady a young receiving group, Matt Breida gave the backfield burst and intrigue, Arik Armstead spent years taking on the kind of interior work that rarely shows up in highlight packages, and Dre Greenlaw became one of the defenses defining presence in the middle of the field.
Kyle Juszczyk sits in that same conversation for a different reason. His role has never been easy to pin down with basic numbers, which is part of why he can be overlooked even after nine seasons of being so useful in so many ways, and the case for him only gets stronger when the 49ers are being measured against the NFLs best teams. The broader point in ranking the most underappreciated players of the Shanahan era is that San Franciscos success has been built not just on headliners, but on a handful of trusted pieces whose value becomes obvious only when they are missing. [Read more 🡒]
John Lynch Could Be Weighing A Surprising 49ers Trade Before Week 1
With Week 1 approaching, the 49ers are still in the kind of roster-shaping period when one phone call can change the equation. John Lynch has shown in the past that he will listen if a move helps the bigger picture, and this group has a few spots where San Francisco has enough depth to at least consider whether a veteran or a younger player might bring back value before the season gets rolling.
The clearest intrigue sits in the secondary and behind center, where the 49ers have bodies and competition that could make a deal more realistic than it first appears. Nothing feels imminent, and no one around the team is treating a move as the most likely outcome, but if another club comes calling with the right offer, Lynch may have a decision to make before the opener. [Read more 🡒]