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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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The San Francisco 49ers own the best record in the NFC despite playing most of the season without their best pass-rusher.
Defensive end Nick Bosa is back in the lineup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday after missing the past five games with a calf strain. That comes less than two weeks after general manager John Lynch brought back three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
But the pass-rush still needs work.
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San Francisco ranks just 19th in ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate and has generated pressure on only 23% of snaps when sending four rushers. The 49ers pressured Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just three times on 34 drop-backs in their 29-20 loss before the bye.
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However, most expect Lynch has another defensive move up his sleeve.
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline fast approaching, Fox Sports’ Eric D. Williams predicted the 49ers will make one more splash and add another impact rusher for the stretch run.
“A team like the San Francisco 49ers will make a play for (Khalil) Mack,” he wrote. “Even with the potential return of Nick Bosa from a calf injury, San Francisco could use more pass-rush help and is in position to chase a Super Bowl.
“Also, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has experience with plugging elite pass-rushers into his system midseason. He executed a similar situation when the Los Angeles Rams traded for Von Miller and won the Super Bowl after the 2021 season.”
Mack’s name has already come up inside the building. Tight end George Kittle asked Lynch last month whether the team was trying to trade for the nine-time Pro Bowler, which Lynch revealed to KNBR.
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San Francisco’s interest in Mack goes back to 2018, when Lynch said the team tried hard to acquire him before the then-Oakland Raiders sent him to the Chicago Bears.
The 35-year-old isn’t the same player who racked up 17 sacks in 2023, but he still has three sacks, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits in seven games for the 0-7 Chargers. He’s also playing on a one-year, $18 million deal and is set to hit free agency in March, making him an ideal rental player for a Super Bowl contender.
It should be noted, however, that ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that the Chargers are still telling teams Mack won’t be traded before Tuesday’s deadline.
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