San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa is out for the season after tearing his ACL in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. As a result, many have begun to speculate if the 49ers will swing a trade for his replacement.
Replacing a player of Bosa’s caliber is not a small task. In seven seasons in the NFL, Bosa has racked up 64.5 sacks, 168 QB hits, and 278 tackles. He’s been named a Pro Bowler five times, and won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022. Prior to his season-ending injury this season, Bosa had accumulated 2.0 sacks through three games.
Recently, 49ers GM John Lynch spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area’s 49ers Game Plan about what it may take for the team to swing a trade in light of Bosa’s injury.
“I think there’s also a component, you’ve got to earn the right, probably talked about more in baseball: Do you earn the right to motivate people to go acquire people?” Lynch said. “So that means we’ve got to keep playing good football, so this guy could be the guy who makes a difference.”
“With anyone on that trade market, you’re not replacing Nick Bosa,” he added.
The 49ers will continue to try and weather the storm as they currently sit in first place in the NFC West with a 4-1 record. San Francisco is coming off a surprising 26-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams on the road, so they’ll look to keep the momentum going against the 4-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6.