Yes, the San Francisco 49ers are 6-3 and still highly competitive this season. Yes, the Niners have done so without their starting quarterback and half their defense. Yes, they still are firmly in the NFC playoff picture, currently holding the No. 6 slot in the seeding.
But is it a team that can not only make the Super Bowl, but win it? That’s likely the question that San Francisco, head coach Kyle Shanahan, and general manager John Lynch was asking themselves as the 4:00 PM trade deadline on Tuesday crept closer.
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This gritty 49ers’ defense could likely make a run in the playoffs. It’s hard to see a Lombardi trophy coming this season without the likes of Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and now Mykel Williams, all of whom are done for the year. There was discussion to be had about a potential Warner return in time for a Super Bowl, should they make it. Perhaps that hope is enough – and it’ll have to do for this season.
Now, that’s not to say that the team is throwing in the towel; that would be absurdity with a 6-3 record. But the power of Christian McCaffrey on offense can only portal you so far, and defensively, there’s not exactly one hole to fill.
If this team was one piece away from a ring, there’d be no question about a trade deadline add. However, that one piece away might be already on the team and in the rehab room. And it may have led to them being about 5-6 away, and one player at the deadline won’t solve that.
The team did shore up a bit on the defensive line, making an earlier trade with the New England Patriots in the week for Keion White. According to multiple insiders, they reportedly made calls about Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby. The asking price was likely too high, and those players may not have even been a feasible option.
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Sometimes, panic trading doesn’t solve immediate problems, and instead, puts future hiccups on a team’s plate. Any trade that San Francisco made would not only have to address this season, but also future team needs in order for a price tag to make sense.
That’s not adding in all the small, week-to-week holes injury-wise this team continues to endure. It’s just too much missing in the foundation. But that doesn’t mean that things are over. It just means that they’ve decided that if this team will continue to win, it’ll keep doing so with the core that’s grinned and bared it through six victories and three tough losses.