Not long after Nick Bosa suffered a torn ACL, John Lynch confirmed the 49ers were in the market for a trade aimed at adding a pass rusher. Trey Hendrickson in particular has emerged as a name to watch in that regard. 
However, Week 6 saw linebacker Fred Warner suffer a fractured and dislocated ankle. The All-Pro is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign as a result. With San Francisco’s defense now missing two major contributors the rest of the way, the team’s general manager appears to have changed his stance on the subject of pursuing a short-term addition on the trade market.
“It’s time to go play. And we’ve got plenty in this team to go compete and go win football games,” Lynch said during his latest appearance on KNBR radio (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “And you do your due diligence — you put the work in. Are there variables that change from week to week? Absolutely, there are. And we’ll just leave it at that.”
Indeed, the 49ers’ calculus has no doubt shifted with Bosa and now Warner out of the picture. The team sits at 4-2, but sacrificing draft capital for a rental could be more difficult to justify given the state of the defense on the injury front. In any event, the play of San Francisco’s internal options will be key in replacing Bosa and Warner down the stretch.
Hendrickson is one of several edge rushers who have emerged as trade candidates ahead of the November 4 deadline. Fewer linebackers have been mentioned in the same capacity, though. As things stand, Tatum Bethune is in position to assume a starting role in Warner’s place. The 2024 seventh-rounder has been a regular on special teams early in his career, but he has logged just 99 snaps on defense in the regular season. How Bethune fares with an increased workload will surely influence Lynch’s aggressiveness on the trade front.
With over $21MM in cap space, the 49ers can certainly afford a short-term acquisition. Based on Lynch’s latest comments, however, the team may prefer to avoid any notable outside additions and instead proceed with its in-house replacement options.