The 49ers could be in on trading for a wide receiver after Brandon Aiyuk's injury. But Stefon Diggs' own injury opens the door for some competition on the market.
In an ideal world, the San Francisco 49ers wouldn't have a need to acquire a wide receiver by the NFL trade deadline because their leading pass catcher from the previous two seasons, Brandon Aiyuk, wouldn't have suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7.
In a less-ideal (but still somewhat ideal) world, the Niners would be one of only a handful of teams shopping for a receiver by the deadline because of an Aiyuk-like injury.
Unfortunately, San Francisco isn't alone.
A week after Aiyuk was lost for the year, Houston Texans star wide receiver Stefon Diggs suffered a serious knee injury of his own in his team's victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Tuesday after the game, news revealed the perennial Pro Bowler suffered a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season:
Brutal. Especially because most 49ers fans are likely pulling for Houston's head coach, DeMeco Ryans, the Niners' defensive coordinator from 2021 and 2022, to have a ton of success at the Texans' helm.
Losing Diggs is a substantial blow. But it also convolutes the trade market, too, especially if San Francisco was aiming to find a suitable replacement for Aiyuk before the Nov. 5 deadline.
Texans could crash 49ers' NFL trade deadline party for a wide receiver
Houston, 6-2 and leading the AFC South by two games, should be a buyer at the deadline. Diggs' injury opens the door for trade talks with other teams, including the Carolina Panthers, who could be interested in shopping their own veteran wideout, Diontae Johnson, to the highest bidder.
Update: Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Carolina is trading Diontae Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens. But the premise of a wide receiver trade still applies to both San Francisco and Houston.
The 49ers could be interested, too, considering their remaining two top receivers, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, have both been banged up this season, forcing rookies like Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing into featured roles.
If the Niners were the lone party interested in a wide receiver trade, that'd be one thing. But the Texans have to be in the mix now, too.
Plus, if Johnson would be a great scheme fit for San Francisco, he'd be the same in Houston under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who stems from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's coaching tree.
The Niners may not entertain a bidding war for a proven pass catcher, particularly if another top contender is willing to drive up the price.
In that way, San Francisco is also hurt by Diggs' injury, albeit in a roundabout way.
