49ers Add to Area of Strength With Preseason Trade

The San Francisco 49ers completed a trade on Sunday. This is not a move that will move the needle or anything, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

The 49ers are trading depth running back Zamir White to the New Orleans Saints for linebacker Deion Jones. This seems like a classic case of two teams giving up players who weren’t going to make their roster for players who might have a better chance.

White was just recently brought in as the 49ers were dealing with several injuries at running back. Unfortunately for White, he was unable to impress during his opportunities with the 49ers. Plus, Kaelon Black and Jordan James both recently returned from injury, making White more expendable.

The Saints could use more depth at running back considering Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller are both on the PUP list. This means White has another perfect opportunity to impress and earn himself a roster spot for 2026.

But what about the 49ers? Will this trade have any ramifications for the 2026 season?

Deion Jones Faces Uphill Battle

It’s not surprising to see the 49ers move on from White, but it is a bit surprising to see the team acquire another inside linebacker.

The 49ers already have Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin, Jaden Dugger, and Luke Gifford at linebacker, so the position wasn’t exactly a need. It’s also been a few seasons since Jone was an above-average defender.

In 2025, Jones played in all 17 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but didn’t get any starts. The veteran collected 29 tackles while almost exclusively playing on special teams.

Considering Jones is primarily a special teamer at this point, it’s hard to imagine him finding a spot unless there are injuries. Gifford is one of the best special teamers in the league, and Garrett Wallow could fill that role as well.

While Jones has been relegated to special teams duty recently, he was one of the best off-ball linebackers in the league at one point. Jones made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and won some Defensive Rookie of the Year votes in 2016.

However, the linebacker has never gotten back to that elite level of play. As a result, it’s unlikely to see Jones on this roster. It seems like the Saints just wanted White, and the 49ers were willing to accept whatever the Saints offered.

The teams all have less than a week now to cut their rosters down to 53 players.