Entering the regular season, general manager John Lynch made it clear the San Francisco 49ers would have to "earn the right" to be aggressive at the NFL trade deadline.
At a perfect 6-0, it's evident the Niners have lived up to their end of the bargain.
So, it's no surprise San Francisco has been discussed as a suitor for plenty of would-be trade candidates heading toward the November deadline. And, in light of the 49ers' injuries along their defensive line, grabbing a trench defender seems like a plausible addition for Lynch and Co.
One name easily thrown around is Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. After all, with Indy 2-4 and seemingly poised to clean house after firing general manager Chris Ballard, Buckner could easily be on the move and sent packing back to the team that originally drafted him in Round 1 back in 2016.
Except ESPN's Bill Barnwell sees things differently.
ESPN proposes a non-DeForest Buckner trade with 49ers involving other DT instead
Barnwell compiled a list of several trade candidates who could soon be on the move, and one of the proposed trades involved Indianapolis and the Niners.
But it wasn't a deal involving Buckner.
Instead of aggressively pursuing Buckner, Barnwell suggested San Francisco trades for nose tackle Grover Stewart, a 314-pound run-stuffing lineman who has spent his entire 10-year career with the Colts up to this point.
Barnwell wrote:
Buckner is still a great player, and I wouldn't fault the 49ers for just lining up as many superstars up front as possible and daring opposing offensive lines to simply figure it out, but this team really needs more help at nose tackle. San Francisco is 27th in success rate against the run so far this season. A year ago, it was 31st. The 49ers have been able to insulate themselves against run game issues by playing from ahead for most of the season, but they'll need to be better against the run by the postseason.
Adding Stewart to the defensive line rotation would go a long way in helping San Francisco plug up those run game woes.
The ESPN analyst added how the Niners may be able to sweeten the deal, convincing Indy to take on some of Stewart's remaining money owed by offering a better pick. But, by merely swapping sixth- and seventh-round picks to land a 33-year-old veteran, San Francisco would simply be stocking up now for what it hopes to be a deep playoff run.
Indianapolis, meanwhile, moves on from a player who likely won't be part of its long-term core.
Indeed, such a move wouldn't be flashy from either franchise's perspective. The Colts wouldn't be getting premier draft capital, nor would the 49ers land a household name like Buckner.
But, it would shore up a notable need the Niners have while beefing up the depth chart for a position group that has already outperformed expectations this season.
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