CBS Sports: 49ers Close in to Make a Deadline Trade for a Former Defender

The San Francisco 49ers may turn to a former teammate for assistance if they need more defensive line depth.

San Francisco has a 4-4 record and numerous injuries. According to Sporting News reporter Vinnie Iyer, the 49ers will trade for Tennessee Titans defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day since DT Javon Hargrave is out for the season, Yetur Gross-Matos is on injured leave, and Kevin Givens is also battling an injury.

On October 31, Iyer wrote, “The 49ers could use him back to play a key part in their front-four rotation even though they didn’t re-sign him in the offseason.”

Although there isn’t much support for the transaction, the concept makes sense. Joseph-Day played for the Niners during the last two weeks of the 2023 regular season and the subsequent postseason run.

Joseph-Day has been a starter for the Titans in 2024, despite being mainly utilized as a rotational option the previous season. He is someone who knows the organization and would probably cost very little in draft resources, even though he might not improve the defensive line’s overall quality.

Things Joseph-Day Contributes
Joseph-Day joined the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, marking his NFL debut. Since he didn’t play a single game in 2018, the Rams allowed him to grow as a rookie on the sidelines.

But by 2019, he had taken on a significant role. In his sophomore year, he started 15 games for Los Angeles.

The fact that Joseph-Day can play a variety of positions is maybe something that San Francisco might use. He has started games as a strong-side defensive end, nose tackle, and three-tech tackle throughout his career.

Joseph-Day has been a reliable pass rusher for the entirety of his six-year career. He has 13 total sacks in 78 NFL games and has never gone an entire NFL season without a sack.

With the exception of the 49ers, he has been an integral part of nearly every team he has played for. Despite starting 73 of his 78 NFL games, Joseph-Day did not start for San Francisco in the previous season.

The 49ers could afford to trade with ease.
Joseph-Day would be a cost-effective alternative, even though some of the trade linkages in recent weeks include well-known, highly compensated players. According to Spotrac, the former Rutgers standout has a one-year, $4 million contract with the Titans.

A $2.2 million signing bonus was included in that deal, which benefits the 49ers or any other potential destination. This year, his base pay is only $1.38 million.

According to OverTheCap, the 49ers have $54 million in cap space this season. If San Francisco were interested in Joseph-Day, his pay would be negligible.

He would also be inexpensive in terms of draft compensation. Although it’s impossible to estimate the exact cost of a deal, the Titans may trade Joseph-Day for a late-round draft pick because he has a one-year contract with Tennessee and hasn’t produced at an exceptional level.