Hypothetical trade sends former 1st-round EDGE to 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are heading into 2026 with a pair of edge rushers coming off ACL tears, and Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport thinks there's an obvious insurance policy available. Nick Bosa and Mykell Williams are still recovering from their 2025 injuries, and there's no guarantee either will be ready by Week 1. And with Keion White coming back from a gunshot wound, that leaves Sam Okuayinonu and Cameron Sample as the only truly healthy edge rushers, along with 2026 third-round pick Romello Height.

Davenport laid out a trade idea that solve that depth issue and bring a proven pass-rusher to San Francisco at a below-market price. He proposed the 49ers trade a 2027 second-round pick for New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. With veteran Brian Burns, second-year pro Abdul Carter and rookie Arvell Reese now on the roster, there has been talk for some time that Thibodeaux could be on the move.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh didn't dismiss that possibility when asked, saying: "Everybody's tradeable, everybody. " There were reports during the draft that the New Orleans Saints were interested in Thibodeaux, but trade talks fell apart when the Giants refused to move the fifth-year veteran for less than a second-round pick. Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, has shown flashes of the pass-rusher New York envisioned when they selected him.

In addition to his 11. 5-sack campaign in 2023, he also posted 12 tackles for loss that year. He's only accrued eight total sacks in the past two seasons, though, including just 2.