Will the 49ers Sign Defensive End Carl Lawson?

The 49ers need another edge rusher.

They have Nick Bosa who's one of the best in the league. But after him, it's unclear what they have. Yetur Gross-Matos is more effective rushing from the interior than from the edge and Mykel Williams might be as well. Plus Drake Jackson hasn't played since he tore his patellar tendon in November of 2023. And he wasn't particularly good before he went down.

So the 49ers could be in the market for an inexpensive defensive end. And the best one available might be Carl Lawson.

Lawson, 29, was drafted by the Bengals in 2017. From 2022 to 2023, he played for the Jets, whose head coach at the time was Robert Saleh. Now, he's the 49ers defensive coordinator. Last year, he played for the Cowboys, recorded 5 sacks in 15 games and posted a 12.4 pressure percentage which was better than Leonard Floyd who started for the 49ers last year.

The 49ers probably could sign Lawson to a cheap one-year deal and he'd be well worth the investment. On first and second down, he wouldn't play much because he's not great against the run. In those situations, the defensive ends would be Bosa and Williams. But on third down, Williams could move to defensive tackle and Lawson could rush the quarterback from the edge opposite Bosa. Lawson isn't a great player, but he would be the 49ers' second-best pass rusher.

I'm guessing the 49ers want to give Jackson the first shot to win that third-down pass-rush role considering they spent a second-round pick on him and he'll be a free agent next year. But if he doesn't make dramatic strides soon, the 49ers should sign Lawson.