Lynch confident injured 49ers stars returning offers trade-like boost originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Should the 3-4 49ers explore trades before the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline?
San Francisco president of football operations/general manager John Lynch believes the 49ers should look internally first.
During his appearance on the KNBR show “Murph & Markus” on Friday, Lynch explained why the 49ers don’t need to push for outside opportunities just yet.
“When I look at our trade deadline, I look at our IR list and I say, ‘[Christian] McCaffrey. [Dre] Green law. [Yetur] Gross-Matos. [Talanoa] Hufanga.’ You know, if we can get those guys back, I think that’s the boost we need as much as anyone we’re going to bring in from the outside,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “So we have a good group of players and hopefully we can get some of these guys back while staying healthy.”
It’s understandably difficult to judge the 49ers when their stars are unavailable. However, it’s not hard to recognize what San Francisco can be when it’s healthy.
The list Lynch put forward, which also includes 49ers guard Jon Feliciano, has the talent to turn San Francisco’s season around. And it won’t be long before the reinforcements are ready to contribute.
“Absolutely,” Lynch said of the likelihood of injured 49ers players returning this season. “Yes. Very much. Where those timelines are, I think we’re all getting closer. They’re all going in the right direction.
“We want to make sure that when we get them back, we have them back for good. That would be a boost. Those are really good players I mentioned. … You have to create spots for all those guys. But they are players worth creating spots for. That will give us a big boost. But right now we have to focus on the team we have and find a way to win.”
While health is most important to San Francisco’s potential second-half run, Lynch didn’t close the door before the trade deadline.
“We’ll see,” Lynch said of trades. “I think our track record has shown that we always make field visits, we always make phone calls [and] see what’s there, and if we can improve our team, we will. But I do love this group.”
The 49ers could still make a splash; Last year the defensive end was thought to be Chase Young, who did not pan out.
But the clock is ticking.
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