NFL Trade Rumors: 49ers Eyed Pat Surtain II, Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson at Deadline

The San Francisco 49ers bolstered their pass-rush with the addition of Chase Young ahead of the trade deadline, but he was reportedly far from the only defensive star on the NFC West team's radar.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, San Francisco also checked in on Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and then-Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat before deciding the price tag was too high on all of them in potential trades.

The 49ers ended up getting Young for a compensatory third-round pick after the Commanders dropped the price tag because of concerns about the defensive end's health.

Injury issues have largely prevented him from playing at the level he did in 2020 as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Schefter noted he has looked healthy for the 49ers in practice and should play in Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He also doesn't have to be individually dominant along a deep defensive line that includes Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrell, Drake Jackson and Randy Gregory.

Of the other reported targets, the Broncos and Bears ended up keeping their respective cornerbacks. Chicago also added despite its position in last place in the NFC North and was the team that traded a second-round pick for Sweat.

That San Francisco was interested in Surtain and Johnson is notable, as cornerback could be an area of relative weakness heading into the stretch run.

It is just 19th in the league in passing yards allowed per game despite having such a talented defensive line to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If it doesn't improve in that area, it likely won't live up to Super Bowl expectations even with a roster with plenty of star power.

That roster could have featured even more star power if the front office added Surtain, Sweat or Johnson, but it instead settled on Young as the team chases an NFC West crown.