The San Francisco 49ers have been riddled with injuries over the first five weeks of the 2025 season, but the team has still managed to get off to a 4-1 start.
The most devastating injury by far this season has been to star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who will miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign with a torn ACL.
With the Niners looking like contenders, they're going to have to address the EDGE position at some point this season. San Fran has a month before the trade deadline, so the team should be exploring its options until then.
One possible option for San Fran in the eyes of Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame is Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Verderame proposes this trade for the two teams ahead of the deadline:
- 49ers get: EDGE Jaelan Phillips
- Dolphins get: Conditional 5th-round pick
"Phillips is still working his way back from significant injuries the past few seasons, but the Dolphins have trusted him enough to play 63% of the defensive snaps this season," Verderame wrote. "At 26, there’s a strong possibility that Phillips can regain his top form in a month or two. The 49ers need an immediate impact player now, but at 3–1, they seem like a good bet to make the postseason."
Phillips showed a ton of promise over his first three years in the NFL, totaling 22 of his 23 career sacks in that span.
Unfortunately, the 26-year-old edge rusher has been marred by injury the past two seasons after suffering an Achilles tear and a torn ACL in back-to-back years.
Phillips hasn't tallied a sack yet this season, but he's also in his first year back from the aforementioned torn ACL. It's reasonable to suspect he will continue to round into form as the year progresses.
Phillips would be a good buy-low candidate for the Niners. He won't completely fill Bosa's shoes, but he has the potential to be the kind of difference-maker San Fran's defense needs to get through the rest of the season.
The former first-round pick will be a free agent in 2026, but getting him for the kind of pick Verderame suggests would lessen the blow if Phillips doesn't come back next year.
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