The San Francisco 49ers are winning in spite of numerous injuries, especially at the receiver position.
The 49ers got some help at receiver before the trade deadline without giving up too much.
San Francisco went and got veteran Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts, who have been one of the major sellers before the deadline. The cost was a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Colts, according to Tom Pelissero of The Ringer.
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Here are the grades for the trade:
The 49ers have been without Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling, Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson for all of most of the season. The 49ers were hoping to get No. 1 receiver Evans back after the bye but he wasn’t ready, and that was a sign that they needed some depth at receiver for the rest of the season.
Keenan Allen was traded from the Indianapolis Colts to the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Allen isn’t still the star he was with the Chargers earlier in his career, but he still knows how to get open and command targets. He had 40 catches for 351 yards in eight games with the Colts. At age 34 he has played in many offensive schemes and presumably should be able to contribute quickly for the 49ers. There weren’t many star receivers available at the trade deadline so the 49ers decided on a value option for depth. It’s not a splashy move but it made complete sense.
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Grade: B
Once the Colts decided to start selling, it didn’t make much sense to hold onto a solid receiver near the end of his career.
The Colts got the selling spree going by trading guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. While they had other big pieces who were reportedly on the block, grabbing a sixth-round pick for Allen was an obvious move.
That sixth-round pick is very unlikely to move the needle too much on what is going to be a long Colts rebuild, but it was fine value for a player the Colts had no more use for in a lost season.
Grade: B-
