49ers Could Target Strong Vita Vea Alternative at Trade Deadline

This is intriguing.

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The San Francisco 49ers are going to need defensive line help at the NFL trade deadline. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saved their season with a Week 5 win against the Dallas Cowboys, the team is sitting at 1-4 right now. They could end up being sellers.

If the Bucs are selling, a name to watch for the 49ers that is not Vita Vea is veteran A’Shawn Robinson. Bradley Locker from PFF sees Robinson as a great fit for the 49ers. 

“Robinson may not be the flashiest name on this list, but he’s likely to be dealt given his work on the ground, not to mention being a 2027 free agent,” wrote Locker.

The fit makes more sense than Vea from a cost perspective.

San Francisco 49ers Could Trade Tampa Bay Buccaneers For A’Shawn Robinson

Robinson is entering his 11th season in the NFL. He has played eight playoff games and was on a Carolina Panthers defense that turned things around and made a run into the playoffs. In 2021, he was on the Los Angeles Rams when they won a Super Bowl. 

Robinson also has 110 career NFL starts. His combination of experience in the playoffs and in an NFL locker room would be an accepted presence. 

He is only on a one-year deal. His deal is cheap enough that the 49ers could easily afford to bring on the entirety of his salary. The combination of him not having team control and bringing cap relief to the Bucs makes him an easy target that would cost a late third-round pick.

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For the 49ers, they do not need flash on defense as much as they need stability. Osa Odighizuwa is making plays, but is on pace for more snaps this year than any other in his career. 

Gracen Halton can get in the backfield, but the rookie has already left a game with cramps. There is a chance he will be hitting the rookie wall with all of the snaps he is getting. The rest of the depth chart is filled out by practice squad call-ups and players who were signed in the weeks after the season started.

Robinson would come in and start right away. He would take blocks away from Odighizuwa and would allow them to keep Halton fresh all year. For a low cost, the fit makes sense. If the 49ers do not want to spend big on Vea, Robinson is a perfect fit.