No. 4: Trade for Chiefs Tackle Mitchell Schwartz
This will take a bit of work. But if we use the same idea that landed the Niners center Jeremy Zuttah from the Baltimore Ravens (trading for a player in line to be a cap casualty), this kind of move makes sense.
Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz finished last season with a 80.7 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus, and a noteworthy 73.6 run-blocking grade. This would give the Niners a solid option over incumbent right tackle, Trent Brown, who isn’t much of a run blocker at all — 39.0 run-blocking PFF grade in 2016.
The 28-year-old Schwartz signed a huge five-year, $33 million contract with Kansas City in 2015. And while he has been a major contributor for the Chiefs offensive line, Kansas City is in cap hell right now.
According to Over the Cap, the Chiefs are in the red and $1,289,566 over the cap this season.
With younger players on Kansas City’s roster soon to hit the open market after 2017 and 2018 — like linebacker Dee Ford and cornerback Marcus Peters — the Chiefs need to free up some cap space.
A mid-round pick might be a bit too low, and such a move wouldn’t be quite as simple as the Zuttah deal.
But if Schwartz doesn’t wind up being the target, look for San Francisco to pursue a similar approach with another likely cap casualty elsewhere.
An ideal move would also land a long-term replacement for left tackle Joe Staley.