The San Francisco 49ers have been trying to fill the void left by former Oregon Ducks defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for years. Buckner was traded by the 49ers to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round draft pick following the 2019 season.
With only one year remaining in his contract with the Colts, Buckner has been named in recent trade speculation. Will the 49ers make a move to return Buckner back to San Francisco?
Jan 11, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) celebrates after a sack against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter in a NFC Divisional Round playoff football game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The 2019 San Francisco 49ers defense was one of the most dominant units that the 49ers have had in coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. San Francisco allowed the second fewest yards in all of the NFL. This defense was anchored by an elite defensive line that constantly got after the quarterback and stopped the run with DeForest Buckner, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Dee Ford. Buckner made 2nd team All-Pro.
San Francisco went 13-3 in the regular season got all the way to the Super Bowl, where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers had a tough decision to make in the offseason with Buckner and his contract. In the end, the 49ers decided to trade Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Colts extended Buckner immediately with a contract of four years and worth $84 million.
The thinking here from the 49ers was that they could extend Arik Armstead for less money and replace Buckner with the No. 13 pick in the 2020 draft. San Francisco signed Armstead to a five-year $85 million contract in March of 2020. The 49ers then drafted who they thought could fill in for Buckner and took Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina.
Armstead had a solid tenure with the 49ers after signing his deal, but the 49ers decided to cut him a year before the final year of his deal. He signed a three-year $43 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to the 2024 season.
Oct 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (99) rushes against Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith (left) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The Javon Kinlaw experiment never fully panned out in San Francisco. Kinlaw battled injuries for a majority of his time with the 49ers. In his four seasons with them from 2020 through 2023, Kinlaw missed 29 games.
Even when he was on the field, he wasn’t close to being what Buckner was. Kinlaw totaled 31 solo tackles and five sacks as a 49er and singed a one-year deal with the New York Jets prior to the 2024 season.
Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The San Francisco 49ers desperately need reinforcements on their defensive line for the 2025 season. 2024 was the worst season the 49ers defense has had in quite some time. The 49ers allowed the 4th most points per game out of any team in the NFL.
San Francisco has the No. 11 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft and there is a big possibility that a defensive lineman will be the pick.
Meanwhile, Buckner is still one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Since signing with the Colts in 2020, Buckner has made 1st team All-Pro and two Pro Bowls while remaining relatively healthy. Buckner has only missed just six games in his four years in Indianapolis. He also signed a two-year $46 million contract with Indianapolis last offseason.
If the 49ers were to go back in time to the offseason prior to the 2020 season, it’s hard to think they wouldn’t end up signing Buckner.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
