The San Francisco 49ers haven't quite (yet) made a blockbuster move ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but that hasn't stopped general manager John Lynch from being active.
That activity led to one specific trade, acquiring defensive end Keion White from the New England Patriots for day-three picks to help bolster what's turned into a decimated outside pass rush in the wake of injuries to Nick Bosa, Yetur Gross-Matos and Bryce Huff.
White, a former second-round draft pick who didn't find a fit in the Pats' new regime under head coach Mike Vrabel, gets another chance under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh with the aim of reinvigorating his career.
Additionally, Lynch tabbed former Niners defensive end Clelin Ferrell for the practice squad after the Los Angeles Chargers released him from theirs.
These moves are helpful, if for no other reason than to ensure San Francisco has enough bodies, physically, to continue on at the position this season.
But, there's still plenty of room to add a pass-rusher.
Latest buzz suggests 49ers aren't done ahead of trade deadline
The Wednesday before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported Lynch had shown interest in Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, which would qualify as a splash move, even if the ESPN duo reported Cincy isn't interested in moving him at this time.
In addition to Fowler describing the 49ers as having been "aggressive" leading up to the deadline, Graziano suggested there's more to come:
"I'm looking at the 49ers, who need help at every single level of the defense, still have a winning record and understand they're in the latter part of a championship window given the ages of some of their great veterans."
To qualify that suggestion, at least as far as the two moves Lynch already made, Ferrell is likely no more than a depth piece at this point of his career, whereas White is more of an interior rusher on obvious passing downs, not unlike what the Niners are trying to do with their first-round pick from last April, Mykel Williams.
That leaves room for another pure edge rusher to pair with Huff when he returns from injury, and it wouldn't be a shock to see San Francisco target someone in the mold of the New York Jets' Jermaine Johnson and/or the Miami Dolphins' Bradley Chubb.
This doesn't necessarily mean a deal is imminent, but the reports indicate Lynch has actively been working the phones, something even he alluded to before the D-line injuries started getting out of hand.
With only a few days remaining, it'll certainly be worth monitoring the transaction wire to see if those efforts were successful.