5 last-minute deals that could help 49ers at NFL trade deadline

The 49ers need to shore up some roster weaknesses, and one of these five moves at the NFL trade deadline would surely help do just that.

There's plenty of smoke out there suggesting the San Francisco 49ers, currently reeling from a three-game losing streak, should and will make one more deal in time before the 2023 NFL trade deadline hits on Tuesday.

With a projected 12 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as nearly $40 million in available cap space, very little should prevent general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan from trying to make an upgrade here or there.

Or, at the very least, reinforce the depth chart.

The Niners won't make all of these moves, no. But at least one of these 11th-hour trades could both help San Francisco get out of its funk and set the team up for continued success deep into the postseason.

Note: All cap and contractual info, courtesy of Over the Cap.

49ers trade target No. 1: WR Curtis Samuel, Commanders

Shanahan is known for adding versatile weapons on offense, and the duo of running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel is about as potentially explosive as can be.

But Samuel has been out the last two weeks with a shoulder injury, which adds to what's been a lengthy injury reputation for the former second-round draft choice out of South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Washington Commanders wideout Curtis Samuel might not have quite the accolade list as his 49ers counterpart, but head coach Ron Rivera uses the Washington version of Samuel in a similar dual-threat kind of fashion.

A year ago, Samuel had 843 yards from scrimmage, 187 of which were on the ground.

For a prorated amount of his $13 million cap hit for 2023, the 27-year-old Samuel would be an ideal insurance policy for Deebo Samuel.