49ers rumored to seek trade for one of their former defensive tackles

There is a rumor that the San Francisco 49ers are interested in trading for their former defensive tackle D.J. Jones.

While Jones is currently on the Denver Broncos, he could fortify the team's defensive line and strengthen their run defense.

49ers rumored to be interested in trading for D.J. Jones

This rumor comes courtesy of the 49ersSportsTalk social media account. The post is below:

Of course, this is just a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. We do not know who the sources are or how reliable they are.

However, a move like this would make a lot of sense for San Francisco. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is going to be a free agent, and Arik Armstead is a guy who has missed a lot of time due to injury.

Bringing Jones back into the fold would go a long way towards strengthening the interior defensive line and adding some much-needed depth.

We saw last season how bad the run defense looked especially in the second half of the year, so any move that would solidify the run defense would be a smart one for the 49ers to make.

Jones was drafted by the 49ers in 2017 and grew to become a solid nose tackle for the Niners. 2021, his last season in San Francisco, saw him record 56 tackles and two sacks while playing in all 17 games for the team.

He has spent the last two seasons with the Broncos where he has put up similarly solid numbers. Despite this, given his salary of roughly $10 million for 2024, Jones is someone who is rumored to be cut or traded by the Denver.

The post above argues that the 49ers could potentially get Jones by trading a late-round pick to Denver in exchange for the Broncos playing down some of Jones' salary. It is tough to say what the Broncos would agree to, but that could be a reasonable trade that would bolster the team's run defense.

Run defense is definitely one of the areas in which the 49ers can improve next season, and a trade for their former nose tackle who played some of his best football in red and gold could go a long way towards returning the 49ers' defense to the level it should be at.

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