As the 2024 season shakes out, it’s beginning to appear more like a ‘when’ than an ‘if’ the San Francisco 49ers will make a trade to try and improve their roster.
With the trade deadline approaching on Nov. 5, and the 49ers scuffling while dealing with a handful of injuries, there are a ton of routes the club can take to helping its roster.
We highlighted the No. 1 position they need to address, but that’s not what they go after in a piece from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell that includes 12 trades he’d like to see before the deadline.
Instead of addressing a couple of weak spots in their defense, Barnwell would have the 49ers deal a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for running back Jeff Wilson Jr. This is something the Athletic’s Matt Barrows has also discussed.
Running back help for the price a sixth-round pick could make a ton of sense for San Francisco.
When Christian McCaffrey returns is still a question mark, and how healthy he’ll be able to stay once he is back is also a concern. Having depth behind him and Wilson may be valuable down the stretch to help insulate them from injury.
Jordan Mason is also seeing a boatload of carries early in the season thanks in part to the 49ers not having a ton of faith in rookie Isaac Guerendo or veteran fourth-stringer Patrick Taylor. If McCaffrey doesn’t return, having a more solidified backup for Mason would be helpful.
Perhaps the best part of this trade for the 49ers is that it wouldn’t likely hamstring them from a larger deal addressing a bigger need or two ahead of the deadline.
Wilson was an undrafted rookie signing by the 49ers after the 2018 draft. He spent his first four-and-a-half seasons with San Francisco before joining the Dolphins in a trade he requested after the 49ers acquired McCaffrey in a trade.
In seven seasons Wilson has 2,353 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 523 carries. He’s averaging 4.5 yards per carry in his career, including 4.8 in 2020 and 5.1 before the trade in 2022.
