5 players 49ers must aggressively shop at 2021 trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers EDGE Samson Ebukam
The Niners have received high-quality pass-rushing production from their top two edge rushers, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.
The supplementary pass rush, however, has been noticeably absent. One of San Francisco’s bigger-ticket offseason free-agent adds, EDGE Samson Ebukam, has been partially to blame here.
For good reason, too. Ebukam has been noticeably absent from the 49ers’ stat sheet this season, yet to record a sack and boasting a mere single quarterback hit and one pressure to go along with 14 tackles despite playing 37 percent of defensive snaps thus far.
The Niners thought Ebukam would thrive in the Wide-9 alignment, which prioritizes speed over size and should have played to the 6-foot-3, 245-pound defender’s strengths. Instead, they’re likely now regretting giving him that two-year, $12 million deal during the offseason.
Instead, EDGE Jordan Willis is returning off the reserve/suspended list, and both he and fellow pass-rusher Arden Key should be tasked with supplying whatever depth pass rush San Francisco is seeking behind Bosa and Ford.
The 49ers would have to take a $1.75 million dead-money loss in 2022 to trade him, and it’s not likely he’d get much, considering he never had more than 4.5 sacks in a single season before.
But it at least frees up more snaps for players like Willis, who have been more successful with the Niners anyway.