There are plenty of reasons to still be concerned about the San Francisco 49ers' pass rush heading into 2026.
A season removed after finishing dead last in the league in sacks with 20, the Niners didn't exactly overhaul this portion of their defense. True, they brought aboard a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris, and they're also expecting both defensive ends, Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, back from ACL tears.
Yet San Francisco also watched edge Bryce Huff suddenly retire, and it made no serious effort to retain fellow pass-rusher Clelin Ferrell on the depth chart despite being tied with Huff for the team lead in sacks a year ago.
About the only notable move was to use a high NFL Draft pick on rookie edge rusher Romello Height.
So, understandably, the concerns should be there. But if the 49ers want to add some bulk without having to shell out some serious capital, they should get on the phone with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right away.
Trading for Bucs' Chris Braswell could be a solution to 49ers' pass-rush problem
Josh Crysler from Niner Noise's FanSided sister site, The Pewter Plank, actually proposed the Niners getting in contact with the Bucs about one of their excess pass-rushers, who may now be in serious roster jeopardy after Tampa Bay made some serious pass-rushing overhauls during the offseason.
The Buccaneers inked Al-Quadin Muhammad before using a top draft pick on Rueben Bain Jr., effectively putting edge rusher Chris Braswell on the periphery.
Braswell, a Round 2 pick from 2024 out of Alabama, has largely been a disappointment at the NFL level, logging just 2.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits over 34 games. But, as Crysler pointed out, it might just be a change of scenery that fully unlocks the 6-foot-3, 255-pound defender's true potential:
Still, entering the season at just 24 years old, there’s plenty of potential left to unlock. Braswell led the SEC in pressures in 2023, and as a prospect, was described by NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler as a high-effort, aggressive player with starting potential.
It wouldn’t cost much for the 49ers to acquire Braswell and add some young upside to their pass rush. A seventh-round pick or a late-round pick swap would likely get the job done.
Indeed, a seventh-round selection would be a tremendously cheap expense to see if Braswell could be fully unlocked under Morris' tutelage.
If Braswell ultimately flops, it doesn't exactly cost the Niners much by the way of draft capital. And they'd at least have the option of using him as a strict rotational pass-rusher.
Not a bad proposal whatsoever.
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