NFC West: 49ers trade with Patriots for pass rusher

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers added some needed pass rush help to their injury-riddled defense by agreeing to a trade with the New England Patriots for Keion White.

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A person familiar with the trade said the Niners will send the Patriots a 2026 sixth-round pick and get a 2026 seventh-rounder in return. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade hadn’t been announced.

The 49ers were searching for help on the defensive line after losing star edge rusher Nick Bosa to a season-ending knee injury in Week 3. San Francisco also is playing without two more defensive ends with Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos out with hamstring injuries.

The Niners also had Trevis Gipson claimed off the practice squad by Carolina on Tuesday after he had played in four games.

San Francisco had no sacks and only two quarterback hits in a loss last week against Houston and ranks last in the NFL with five sacks in the last six games.

The Niners are 5-3 and currently in third place in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, who are both 5-2.

White was a second-round pick in 2023 and showed flashes last season but had fallen out of favor this season under the new coaching staff led by Mike Vrabel. White had started only one game and was a healthy scratch in last week’s win against Cleveland.

The 26-year-old White had four sacks in the first two games of the 2024 season but hasn’t been very productive since then. He has one sack in his last 20 games and three quarterback pressures on 76 pass rush snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

But White provides San Francisco with a pass rusher with positional versatility with the ability to play both inside and outside. The team is hopeful that defensive line coach Kris Kocurek can get the most out of him like he has with several other reclamation projects in recent years.

White has one year remaining on his rookie deal.

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