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The San Francisco 49ers will be without Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL and MCL, but that doesn’t mean they will trade for a wide receiver ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline.
“I’m not so sure they make a trade,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. “Yes, obviously, they are going to explore. The 49ers really like the receivers they have on their roster.”
Health concerns have been a theme at the position and the offense as a whole for San Francisco.
In addition to Aiyuk’s setback, Deebo Samuel was hospitalized with pneumonia, Jauan Jennings missed time with a hip injury and Ricky Pearsall just made his season debut after he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco in August.
That’s not even taking into account star running back Christian McCaffrey, who has not played a game this season because of Achilles tendonitis
Tight end George Kittle’s status was also up in the air ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, but Rapoport noted he and Samuel are expected to play.
“This may be a situation where the 49ers stick with what is already in their locker room” Rapoport said before adding that McCaffrey is trending toward a November return following the upcoming bye week.
Aiyuk will be difficult to replace, but plenty of NFL teams would love to have a group of skill position players that includes McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Kittle and Samuel. Perhaps San Francisco will decide it can still make a run in the NFC without sacrificing assets such as draft picks that will help in the future.
Yet the team will need to turn things around following an uneven 3-4 start, especially with potentially difficult games against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions waiting after the bye.
The 49ers can only afford so many more losses following their slow start if they are going to make the playoffs in the NFC, which is something else the front office will have to consider ahead of the trade deadline.
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