The player the 49ers should have gotten at the trade deadline

What a missed opportunity.

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The 49ers just missed a rare opportunity to drastically improve their team for the present and the future.

The trade deadline just came and went, and the 49ers did absolutely nothing, even though they've beaten every team in their division and currently have one of the best records in the NFL. Either they think their roster is good enough right now to win the Super Bowl this season (doubtful), or they think they have no chance to win it all without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams, so why go for it?

The 49ers seem to be building for 2026. That's why they were unwilling to trade any draft picks for one-year rentals who would leave in free agency in a few months. They seem to think they'll have a better chance to win the Super Bowl next season, even though the NFL is completely wide open at the moment. Maybe the 49ers are right. Maybe they're not.

Either way, they missed out on an incredible opportunity.

The 49ers should have traded for Quinnen Williams

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Instead, the Jets traded Williams to the Cowboys for a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Williams is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He has gone to three straight Pro Bowls. He was a first-team All Pro player in 2022. And he's only 27. Which means he will be dominant for at least three more seasons, barring injury.

That's why the Cowboys traded for him. They know they probably won't win the Super Bowl this season -- their record is 3-5-1. Williams improves their chances of winning it next year.

The 49ers haven't drafted a defensive tackle as good as Williams since they took DeForest Buckner in 2016. And that was before Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch were in the organization. They traded Buckner in 2020 and have been trying to replace him ever since.

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Williams would be an upgrade over Buckner. And Williams would fit the 49ers' defensive scheme because he played for Robert Saleh when Saleh was the head coach of the Jets.

The last time the 49ers drafted a player as good as Williams, they took Nick Bosa with the second pick in 2019. Williams was the third pick. So unless the 49ers plan on drafting top three in the next few drafts, they should have traded for Williams. Imagine a defense with him, Bosa and Warner on the field at the same time.

Sounds like a Super Bowl defense to me.