49ers should swing this trade to reunite brothers and fortify defensive line

The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of question marks surrounding their defensive line going into 2024.

The team should swing a trade for Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa. The trade would reunite him with his brother Nick Bosa and would fortify the Niners' defensive line.

49ers trade for Joey Bosa to reunite brothers and fortify defensive line

Right now, the 49ers' defensive line is a bit of a mess. They have Nick Bosa under contract for the foreseeable future. They have Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave on the interior.

But when you get to the other edge rusher position things become much less clear.

The team traded for Chase Young last season, but he did not exactly impress in the way the Niners were hoping he would. The hope was that reuniting him with Bosa, his college teammate, would make San Francisco's defensive line the most fearsome in the league.

It did not quite work out that way.

Young is now a free agent, but it is unclear whether the Niners will have a lot of interest in bringing him back.

Clelin Ferrell is also a free agent. He got injured late last season, which kept him out of the playoffs. It is important to note that while he was healthy, Ferrell would get the starts on the defensive line over Young, which shows that the 49ers may have been more impressed with what he was doing as an edge rusher.

With the likely possibility that both of those players leave in free agency, the 49ers may be scrambling to find out who to put at the edge rusher position opposite Bosa.

What better player than his brother, Joey Bosa?

The elder Bosa is not a free agent, and he is still under contract with the Bolts. He has been a solid pass-rusher in his career when he has been able to stay on the field. That has been a big question mark recently, though.

Bosa has been limited to just 16 games the past two seasons due to injury. However, last season in just nine games, he was able to record 6.5 sacks, which shows just how productive he can be when he is on the field.

Even despite the injury history, the Niners would have to give up something fairly serious to get Bosa in a trade. The Chargers are not in rebuild mode with Justin Herbert at quarterback and newly hired coach Jim Harbaugh. They want to win now, so San Francisco would have to pay up to land Bosa.

It may well be worth whatever the Niners give up, though. Their championship window is open, but it is rapidly closing. They need to do literally everything they can to win a championship, and if that means giving up a lot to get Bosa so that he and his brother can potentially wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, then you go and do it and ask questions later.

It is unclear whether the 49ers hiring Brandon Staley, Joey Bosa's former head coach with the Chargers, as an assistant head coach would provide any added incentive for the older pass-rusher to come to the Bay Area. Ultimately, the opportunity to play with his brother on a team that has a chance to make a Super Bowl run would be the biggest reason that he'd want to join the team.

But in order for the 49ers to get the Chargers to agree, they will have to assemble a trade package enticing enough.

It will be costly and risky, but it may be the best way to ensure that the defensive line is a strength going into next season.

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