49ers deserving of trade-deadline move amid rash of injuries

49ers' success is total team effort 

The 49ers have been shuffling players in and out of the lineup due to injury, and it has been difficult to get a rhythm with the inconsistency and lack of continuity, but their stellar start has been a result of a total team effort. 

Sustaining a winning record with multiple players out due to injury shows an organization-wide culture that is strong and thriving. It’s a situation that all franchises crave to have.
 
Players who aren’t as well known around the league, like linebackers Dee Winters and Tatum Bethune and defensive back Chase Lucas, stepping up and making winning plays in critical moments during games will only benefit the team's success in the future. As the young players build on their success on the field, it will result in strengthening their cohesiveness as a team on and off of it.

Who could 49ers target ahead of trade deadline?

The 49ers need another defensive end now that Bryce Huff is expected to be out for multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury he sustained against the Falcons. But who could the team target?

A player like Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson might be too expensive based on the $29M contract he signed in August. An edge rusher like the Miami Dolphins' Bradley Chubb, though, might be just the right fit based on where Miami is going as a franchise.
 
With their poor start to the season, as they are 1-6 through seven weeks, the Dolphins are primed to be sellers at the deadline. Chubb is under contract through 2027, and he makes less than what Hendrickson makes this year, at $18 million a year. Chubb is the type of player the 49ers should target at the deadline to bolster their defensive line.

With the abundance of injuries the team has been dealt, their strong start to the season has warranted a move at the deadline. Head coach Kyle Shanahan prefers a move that makes sense for now and in the future.

Well-run organizations like San Francisco do not just look to go all in on a potential trade that will only be a one-year rental. With cornerstone players like Bosa and Warner, who are under contract for multiple years, it would be foolish to give up lots of high-round draft capital for a rental player who would have the potential of being a free agent after this season.  
   
The organization has had a track record of being active at the trade deadline, acquiring players like running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for draft picks in previous seasons. This season, there is no doubt that with the team winning games, despite playing backup players at many positions in all three phases of the game, it has earned a right for the front office to make a move at the trade deadline.