The San Francisco 49ers need to find some help on their defensive line.
That need was highlighted in the preseason finale when defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos went down with injuries. Floyd is day-to-day and looks to be on track to play in the season opener on Sept. 9.
There’s more uncertainty with Gross-Matos, who is considered week-to-week according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
While the 49ers could conceivably scour the free agent pool and waiver wire for DE help, they could also explore the trade market ahead of final cuts.
The New Orleans Saints roster offers an option that may strike the 49ers’ fancy with former first-round pick Payton Turner.
Turner was the No. 28 overall pick in the 2021 draft and he’s yet to get his career off the ground. In three seasons he’s played only 15 games and posted 3.0 sacks. Pro Football Focus has him down for just 26 pressures in those 15 games.
His production certainly doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence that he could help the 49ers. However, he’s the exact type of reclamation project they’ve had some success with. He has all the measurables to be an impactful player on an NFL defensive line, and he has the size to fit a role where he plays on the edge and the interior.
San Francisco isn’t batting 1.000 with such projects, but there’s enough need at the position that sending a sixth-round pick to the Saints in exchange for Turner and a seventh makes sense.
Perhaps the 49ers are happy with the internal depth on their 90-man roster, and they’ll aim to get a DE to the practice squad who can be on the gameday roster in the event of an injury. Signs point to them needing more depth at such a vital position though, and they should shoot to acquire a player with a little upside like Turner.
