NFL trade deadline 2022: 3 positions John Lynch, 49ers must address

With the 2022 NFL trade deadline approaching, 49ers general manager John Lynch should be working the phones to upgrade these three positions.

While most teams aren’t always aggressive at the NFL trade deadline, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has had a recent history of making some pretty notable moves.

The most notable, of course, was the 2017 acquisition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo just before that year’s deadline, followed by picking up wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders back in 2019. And when things haven’t been so great for the Niners, as was the case in 2020, Lynch didn’t hesitate to move players for assets, such as moving linebacker Kwon Alexander to the New Orleans Saints.

With a 3-3 record with two more games to play before the 2022 NFL trade deadline, San Francisco is still in a position where it can either decide to be a buyer or fall back upon being a seller, particularly if it loses its next two contests.

However, assuming the 49ers want to take advantage of a notably weaker NFC West, perhaps Lynch wants to act more aggressively.

Keep in mind, the Niners don’t own a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, thanks to the 2021 move for quarterback Trey Lance, and they have just over $4.5 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap.

Those facts will put some restraints on what Lynch might be able to do before the deadline.

But he can at least start by looking at some of the specific needs San Francisco has on its roster heading toward the middle stretch of the season.

Let’s look at three of those needs he has to address.