With the San Francisco 49ers on the precipice of yet another NFC Championship game appearance, it is easy to look back with regret on general manager John Lynch's fairly quiet trade deadline.
However, the GM was just vindicated for not making a huge move.
The Niners upset the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, and they did it even with their paltry pass rush. San Francisco ranked last in the NFL in sacks, but against Philadelphia, the defense came up with the goods enough to get a victory.
While the Niners did not do much at the deadline, only adding Keion White in a swap with the New England Patriots, the Eagles made a big move by trading for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
Philly sent a third-round pick in exchange for Phillips, who is now going to be a free agent. If he ends up departing in free agency, then the Eagles basically threw that pick away.
Meanwhile, as the SF Standard's David Lombardi pointed out on social media, the 49ers only gave up a sixth-round pick for White, and he will be under contract for next season.
Comparing how the two played in Philadelphia, the Niners definitely seemed to make the right move as White sacked quarterback Jalen Hurts, while Phillips had no sacks and no tackles against the Niners.
Of course, an argument could be made that if the 49ers knew back during the trade deadline that they would make it this far, they probably would have been more aggressive trying to get pieces to make up for some of the key losses they sustained.
But at the time, San Francisco's postseason fate was unclear. The 49ers looked like they could be a playoff team even despite all of their injuries, but it was questionable how far they could make it given those limitations.
It is still questionable how far they can make it since their stars just keep dropping, as tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles in the victory over Philadelphia.
But even if the 49ers lose this postseason, they will be better positioned for next season. Maybe they have a Super Bowl run for the ages in them, but that just does not seem feasible given how many key pieces they have already lost.
It was easy to second guess Lynch and the front office at the time, but it seems he likely made the prudent move.