3 reasons why SF 49ers must be ‘sellers’ at 2020 NFL trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: All those SF 49ers injuries make it nearly impossible for a playoff push
The SF 49ers currently have 17 players on injured reserve or an associated list, such as center Weston Richburg and defensive end Ronald Blair on the physically unable-to-perform list.
As was made known during the Sunday Night Football broadcast against the Rams, that’s the most in the NFL. To make things worse, the Niners are going to be losing running back Raheem Mostert to the IR list for at least three weeks. Same with the No. 2 center behind Richburg, Ben Garland (calf).
San Francisco 49ers
Without Mostert and Garland, San Francisco’s PUP/IR list is as follows:
- DE Ronald Blair III (knee)
- C Weston Richburg (knee)
- DT Jullian Taylor (knee)
- WR Travis Benjamin (COVID)*
- OL Jake Brendel (COVID)*
- OL Shon Coleman (COVID)*
- EDGE Ezekiel Ansah (bicep)*
- WR Tavon Austin (knee)*
- EDGE Nick Bosa (knee)*
- RB Tevin Coleman (knee)
- EDGE Dee Ford (back)
- WR Jalen Hurd (knee)*
- LB Mark Nzeocha (quad)
- TE Jordan Reed (knee, ankle)
- CB Richard Sherman (calf)
- DE Solomon Thomas (knee)*
- WR Chris Thompson (undisclosed)
- CB K’Waun Williams (knee)
*denotes out for the season
Pretty long list, right?
A number of those players are poised to return soon, namely Williams and Sherman, which should solidify the secondary. Others, like Ford and Richburg, aren’t going to be back anytime soon.
True, every team deals with injuries, and the altered 2020 offseason certainly influenced the other 31 teams out there, too, although the Niners being atop the IR leaders doesn’t bode well at all for their chances.
In turn, it would be wise to trade off some tradable assets, focus on the aforementioned players getting healthy, while also looking at and developing other players potentially buried much deeper on the roster.
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Especially if San Francisco can’t be at full health, or anywhere close to it for the duration of 2020.
The 2020 NFL trade deadline is now Tuesday, Nov. 3.