49ers rumors: San Francisco predicted to make another trade after Patriots move
With Nick Bosa out for the season, San Francisco moved quickly for pass-rush help, acquiring Keion White from the Patriots for a late pick swap. White flashed with five sacks in 2024 and a strong pressure grade, and the 49ers, sitting 5-3 and near the bottom of the league in sacks, are betting a change of scenery can unlock that version again.
ESPN reported that the 49ers aren’t done. The team “needs help at every single level of the defense,” still holds a winning record, and understands it’s in the latter stage of a championship window with several core veterans.
There’s no single move that replaces a Bosa or a Fred Warner, but San Francisco has been “calling around about pass-rush help” and is expected to do “something beyond what they’ve already done.”
The same report noted Pittsburgh remains aggressive after trading for Patriots safety Kyle Dugger, and is still combing the receiver market; if a Jakobi Meyers deal doesn’t materialize, the Steelers could pivot to a speed option like Rashid Shaheed. All via ESPN’s insider roundtable.
For the 49ers, this window-oriented approach holds. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have a history of being active at the deadline, and the current roster math suggests layered depth moves rather than a single blockbuster.
White offers a first swing; a complementary rusher, a coverage-capable linebacker, or a rotational corner would further stabilize a defense that has leaned heavily on scheme to manufacture pressure since Bosa’s injury.
The calculus is also cap-aware. Low-cost, high-upside acquisitions (expiring deals, underused younger talent) fit best, allowing San Francisco to preserve future flexibility while propping up a battered unit. That approach dovetails with recent in-season tinkering on special teams and the back end, where short fields and time of possession have amplified defensive strain.
Elsewhere in the rumor mill, ESPN’s report framed the Jets as another logical buyer, but circled back to San Francisco as the team most likely to make an additional move given need, urgency, and precedent. If the 49ers can pair White with another situational edge or coverage piece, the defense’s floor rises in November, exactly when Shanahan’s teams typically surge.
The 49ers also supplemented depth on Tuesday by adding two former first-rounders to the practice squad amid injuries: edge Clelin Ferrell (returning for a second stint) and tackle Andre Dillard, per national reports. They’re flyer bets, but familiar profiles for a staff that’s squeezed real snaps from reclamation projects before.
Pittsburgh Steelers sign versatile former Philadelphia Eagles player
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jack Driscoll to their practice squad, the team announced. Driscoll has played both tackle spots and can kick inside to guard. Given the Steelers’ insistence on running a jumbo set, he can also play there, having played 21 career snaps.
Driscoll was the Eagles’ fourth-round pick out of Auburn in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has started in 18 games and played in 67 games over his career. After his rookie contract expired following the 2023 season, Driscoll was let go by the Eagles and signed a deal with the Miami Dolphins.
After the Dolphins released him, he was re-signed by the Eagles and eventually joined their active roster. He has not been signed by a team since the Super Bowl, and the Steelers will be his first landing spot.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 306 pounds, Driscoll has 33-inch arms and has become a versatile player who can play all over the offensive line. Driscoll has dealt with some injuries in his career, including a season-ending knee injury in 2020.
The Steelers brought him in for added depth following the injury to starting left guard Isaac Seumalo, who is battling a pectoral strain.
