49ers' best in-season roster move is one few could have predicted

Perhaps San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch knew what he was doing all along.

Despite his team's relative inactivity at the NFL trade deadline last month, which created no shortage of consternation among the fanbase, Lynch and the Niners have gone 3-1 thereafter, including a three-game win streak that culminated in a decisive road victory in Week 13 over the Cleveland Browns.

In that particular game, defensive end Clelin Ferrell notched two sacks, doing one better than Cleveland's own elite pass-rusher, Myles Garrett, who only tallied one.

Quickly, Ferrell is proving to be the best in-season move San Francisco has made thus far, justifying the lack of attention given to blockbuster trades leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline.

Ferrell, who spent 2023 with the 49ers, was swiped up by Lynch and added to the practice squad not long after being let go by the Los Angeles Chargers. And despite playing on only four games to date with the Niners, he's already tied for the team lead in sacks with four, including the aforementioned two in Cleveland.

Simply put, his presence is paying off handsomely.

Clelin Ferrell is fully justifying 49ers' faith in him (and then some)

San Francisco is still dead last in the league in sacks with 16, largely due to season-ending injuries suffered by key edge rushers, Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams.

Yet Ferrell is doing everything in his power to ensure the 49ers pass rush doesn't suffer despite the injury attrition.

"He's done a hell of a job," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after Ferrell's two-sack performance against the Browns. "I mean, we loved having Cle here a couple years ago when we had him. Since his first day here, he's been the same guy. He's given us a lot of juice when we've been down."

Indeed, the Niners are trusting the 2019 first-round draftee a lot thus far, as he's averaging just over 25 defensive snaps per game since rejoining his former squad.

Based on the results -- an average of one sack per game to date -- San Francisco is getting a healthy return on the low-risk investment that has largely made up for those injury-related deficiencies.