With how well the San Francisco 49ers have started this season combined with some of the carnage around the rest of the NFL, it feels like the Niners are going to be very active at the trade deadline.
Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner’s name keeps coming up in connection to San Francisco, and it is starting to feel like the stars are aligning for a reunion.
The Colts lost in embarrassing fashion to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and on Monday morning, Indy fired general manager Chris Ballard.
It would not shock anyone if the Colts, now at 2-4 on the season, have something of a fire sale ahead of the deadline.
Buckner makes sense as a trade candidate for a number of reasons. He is in the final year of his contract and is 32 years old, so odds are the Colts won’t be bringing him back next season. The veteran pretty clearly voiced his discontent after Sunday’s loss, so it wouldn’t come as a shock if he even requests a trade.
Table is perfectly set for 49ers to trade for Colts' DeForest Buckner
49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk even took to social media to advocate for a reunion with Buckner, so it seems clear that there’s an appetite among some in San Francisco’s locker room to bring him back.
It just feels like a perfect fit, given how many injuries the Niners have had to their defensive line, and the last time San Francisco’s defense was truly dominant was back in 2019 when Buckner was in the fold before the 49ers controversially decided to trade him away.
The question becomes what would the Niners have to give up for DeFo?
He’s a veteran in the final year of his deal, so a mid-round draft pick seems reasonable. But what if the Colts get greedy? What if they demand Gracen Halton, San Francisco’s standout rookie at defensive tackle, in a deal? That would make the decision much more difficult.
Buckner has four sacks on the season, though, and is still dangerous out there. If the 49ers could get him and hang onto Halton, that would give them a formidable starting duo between Buckner and Osa Odighizuwa, with Halton as a great depth piece who could rotate in at times and give the veterans a rest.
It just makes almost too much sense, so general manager John Lynch has to be working the phones with whoever is now calling the shots in Indianapolis to see if he can rectify one of his bigger blunders as GM by getting Buckner back in the fold.
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