The Trade the 49ers Must Make Before the Deadline if they're Serious

This is the year.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the 49ers don't win the Super Bowl this season, they might never win it.

They have the best team in the NFL. They're injured, but they still have roughly six future Hall of Famers on the field who are still playing at a high level. They just beat the defending Super Bowl champions in their stadium. This is the year to go all-in. If that means trading a first-round pick, so be it.

But which position should the 49ers target before the deadline?

Two jump to mind: wide receiver and defensive line. Let's discuss wide receiver first. The 49ers have so many injuries at this position that they currently are down to Mike Evans (who has broken ribs), Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing and Brandin Cooks. If Evans misses time, the 49ers are in trouble.

At defensive line, the 49ers are coming off a five-sack performance. Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton has been a revelation. Veteran defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa is a good player. And former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa should be returning from a knee/calf injury soon.

So it seems that wide receiver is the bigger need.

But it's not. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is creative enough to work around his lack of depth at wide receiver. He did it just a few days ago when he orchestrated a touchdown drive against the Seahawks in the fourth quarter after Deebo Samuel left the game with a hamstring injury.

In addition, the 49ers' injured wide receivers should come back at some point. Demarcus Robinson, De'Zhaun Stribling and Samuel did not suffer season-ending injuries. Theoretically, all or some of them will contribute down the stretch.

Bosa's return is less clear. He's trying to recover from his third ACL repair, and it's not going smoothly. He still hasn't been a full participant in a practice yet this year. He might be limited for the rest of the season. Which means he might be in and out of the lineup depending on the week.

The 49ers can't just cross their fingers and hope that Bosa makes a full recovery this season. They have to trade for a closer on the defensive line who can sack the quarterback to end the game if Bosa isn't healthy enough to do that.

The 49ers defense is good without Bosa, but it lacks a closer. Last year in Seattle, Bosa ended the game by stripping the ball away from Sam Darnold on the final drive. This year in Seattle, the 49ers won because Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped a pass when he was wide open downfield, and then Cooper Kupp got pushed out of bounds a foot in front of the first-down marker. They got lucky.

That's why they need to trade for a designated edge rusher. That's why Bryce Huff was last season, and that's what Romello Height is supposed to be now. But he's a rookie with one sack. They can't rely on him.

They should trade for Khalil Mack. The Chargers aren't going anywhere, which means they need to trade their aging vets for draft picks.

If the 49ers can find a better edge rusher than Mack, go for it. But they have to get someone at this position.