49ers roster: 3 players team should trade away before Week 1
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Defensive Tackle Zach Kerr
Again, this one kind of hurts a bit, too.
Veteran defensive tackle Zach Kerr was one of the Niners’ preseason standouts and a major reason why John Lynch ended up receiving phone calls from other teams inquiring about San Francisco’s defensive line depth and availability.
Lynch passed on trading anyone away, which was a bit of a surprise considering the 49ers didn’t even play their top two D-linemen, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. Yet Lynch does have an argument, saying he didn’t want to compromise the Niners’ depth here.
OK, valid. But San Francisco elected to roster three nose tackles, D.J. Jones, Kevin Givens and the journeyman, Kerr.
Typically, teams don’t keep three nose tackles on a 53-man roster. And while there are rotational possibilities here, the 49ers could potentially bring back defensive tackle Maurice Hurst later this season, as he’s on injured reserve, while keeping Givens as a cheap exclusive-rights free agent in 2022.
Even if he stays on the roster, Kerr isn’t likely to see a ton of field time this season unless injuries pile up once again.
With his stock value notably high, it wouldn’t hurt to see if Lynch can find a market for Kerr, even though Kerr was fantastic for the Niners during the preseason.