49ers Could Turn Attention to 66-Sack Pro Bowler After Myles Garrett Trade

Before he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, star edge-rusher Myles Garrett was linked to a handful of teams including the San Francisco 49ers.

Now that Garrett, who broke the NFL sack record last season, is playing for a division rival, it feels like the 49ers have to answer by beefing up their pass-rush, which was the team's biggest area of weakness last season.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports believe they can do just that by signing free-agent edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who recorded 40 pressures, 29 hurries, and 8.5 sacks last season for the Dallas Cowboys.

"The San Francisco 49ers ranked last in the NFL in team sacks in 2025, and their 1.18 sacks per game now stands as the lowest by a team that made the postseason," Poddell wrote. "Yes, San Francisco gets both 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year edge-rusher Nick Bosa (torn ACL) and 2025 11th overall pick edge-rusher Mykel Williams (torn ACL and torn meniscus) back in 2026.

"Adding a healthy, proven pass-rush threat along the edge in Clowney would relieve some of the urgency on those two to rush back from their injuries. Plus, Clowney already has plenty of pass-rush chemistry with new 49ers defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa after suiting up together in Dallas last season."

Had Bosa and Williams been healthy for the entire 2025 season, it's unlikely San Francisco would've finished with a league-low 20 sacks.

Getting both of those players back next season, along with the addition of Odighizuwa, rookie third-round pick Romello Height, and free-agent add Cameron Sample, the 49ers' pass-rush should be more formidable than it was a year ago.

Adding Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro who's logged eight or more sacks in five of the last nine seasons and 40 or more pressures in seven of those years, would be a big boost for a defense with much more pressure to perform now that Garrett is in L.A.

The 49ers have also been linked to Bosa's brother Joey, a five-time Pro Bowler who 54 pressures, 36 hurries, five sacks, and five forced fumbles last season with the Buffalo Bills.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 8:07 AM.