5 Targets for the San Francisco 49ers Ahead of the 2020 NFL Trade Deadline

The San Francisco 49ers are in one of the NFL's most heated arms races as the trade deadline approaches. 

At 4-3, the Niners sit last in the brutal NFC West behind three teams with five wins. Elsewhere in the NFC, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are on a tear, and Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers just added Antonio Brown.

With some key players on injured reserve, the Niners may need to get aggressive at the trade deadline to ensure they aren't the latest victims of the Super Bowl curse.

It'll take some serious salary-cap creativity, as they currently have just under $5 million in salary-cap space. That hasn't stopped teams from getting active in the past, though, whether it's by offloading salaries or restructuring contracts.

If the Niners are looking to buy at the trade deadline, they should keep an eye on the following five players. 

Ryan Kerrigan, Edge, Washington Football Team

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The Niners' front seven has been devastated by injuries. Dee Ford, Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas are all on injured reserve, and Ziggy Ansah joined them only two weeks after signing with San Francisco.

At this point, the 49ers could be desperate enough to pay up for a half-season rental who has a track record of being able to stay on the field. 

Ryan Kerrigan is the first name to come to mind. 

Kerrigan, 32, is on the final year of his contract and has an $11.7 million cap hit. He's missed only four games since 2011 and is one of the league's most overlooked players despite his 94 sacks and counting, including four over seven games this season. 

Washington might be willing to accept a future mid-round pick for Kerrigan since it has spent first-round picks on Chase Young and Montez Sweat in recent years. The 49ers desperately need someone to man the edge, and Kerrigan might want to stick around beyond this season and contend for titles as his career winds down. 

Quinnen Williams, DL, New York Jets

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If the 49ers are serious about buying at the trade deadline, they could target obvious rebuilders and try to poach talent. 

It doesn't get more obvious from a rebuilding standpoint than the New York Jets. 

The 0-7 Jets might even be willing to move 2019 No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams for a second-round pick, according to The Athletic's Connor Hughes. To make such an offer, the Niners would be taking a leap of faith that Williams will immediately improve because he'd be playing in better surroundings. 

Either way, acquiring Williams from a Jets team looking to offload assets acquired by a failed regime could help both now and later. The 22-year-old is under contract on a rookie deal through 2023, provided a team picks up his fifth year. 

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

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Elsewhere on the rebuilder front, San Francisco might want to take a look at the free-falling Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Bengals are 1-5-1 coming out of a 2-14 season, and carryovers from the 16-year Marvin Lewis era such as veteran wideout A.J. Green remain on the roster.

The Niners have a glaring need at receiver, too. Rookie Brandon Aiyuk leads all San Francisco wideouts in receiving yards (280), and Deebo Samuel just suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him this weekend and possibly next week as well.

Green would make a ton of sense for San Francisco at the right price. He's a half-season rental playing on the franchise tag at the age of 32, and he's coming off consecutive performances of 80-plus yards. 

If the 49ers can convince the Bengals to eat some of Green's salary, he could be an instant fix for the offense. 

Melvin Ingram, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

When it comes to other potential half-season rentals, it's hard to ignore Los Angeles Chargers edge-rusher Melvin Ingram.

The 31-year-old just got reactivated from injured reserve right in time for the trade deadline. He's on the final year of his four-year contract with a $16.625 million cap hit, and while he's played only 40 percent of the defense's snaps so far, he has a 71.7 Pro Football Focus grade. 

Ingram has experience in the defensive schemes that the 49ers run, so he should make a seamless transition. And while he's missed a few games this year and three last season, he hadn't missed any since 2014 prior to that. 

If the Chargers look to dump Ingram ahead of his foray into free agency this offseason, the Niners should sniff around.

Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

If the Niners don't pursue A.J. Green, New York Giants veteran wideout Golden Tate could be another option.

Although the 1-6 Giants are technically alive in the horrendous NFC East race, they'll likely be amenable to dumping veterans for draft picks or younger players. 

The 32-year-old Tate is under contract through 2022, but he has a $4.7 million out built into his deal after this season. With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton looking like the future of the wideout position in New York, the Giants have less of a need for Tate, who's caught only 20 passes for 195 yards this season.

Tate made more of an impact last year, hauling in 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns, and he had at least 750 yards and four touchdowns in each of the six seasons prior to that. The Niners could make their passing attack more prolific in the second half of the season by acquiring him ahead of the trade deadline.

All contract details via Spotrac.