As the November 5 NFL trade deadline approaches, many expect the San Francisco 49ers to be active. The team has been hit hard by injuries this season, dropping to a 3-4 record. On Sunday, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs, making him the 10th player on the 49ers' injured reserve list.
Could Aiyuk's absence push the 49ers' decision-makers to explore a trade for another wide receiver?
"I wouldn't say that specifically," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Thursday during his weekly interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR. "I mean, we look into every situation to see if it can help us at every position. It's a lot harder to do than people realize. People aren't into giving up players that can really help you.
"If they can really help you, and for some reason, they're in a situation [where they want] to give him up, it's rarely gonna not hurt you at some time, most likely the next year and in the future."
While Shanahan didn't rule out the possibility of adding to the wide receiver group, he expressed confidence in the players already on the roster.
"We'll look into everything, but we've got enough guys in our place," Shanahan said. "We love these young guys we've got. They're just way behind the eight ball with missing so much practice time, with so much injuries."
Jauan Jennings missed the game against the Chiefs, and Deebo Samuel played only four snaps before being sidelined with pneumonia. This forced rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing to take on more prominent roles in the ailing offense.
"But they did step it up well last week," Shanahan added. "There was a lot on their plate that we weren't totally expecting them to have to go through, and I thought they rose up to the occasion, and I think they'll continue doing that this year."
You can listen to Shanahan's entire interview below.
