The NFL trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, but we’ve got all sorts of non-trade news going down. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived cornerback Johnthan Banks, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. There are teams around the NFL with a cornerback need, but it would appear the Bucs were unable to find somebody who would be interested in him. Banks was a healthy scratch the last two weeks, clearly falling out of favor with the coaching staff.
I don’t expect the San Francisco 49ers to place a claim on Banks. The 49ers cornerback situation is going to continue to go through some growing pains this year, but they have some intriguing young talent in Jimmie Ward, Rashard Robinson, and Keith Reaser. Tramaine Brock remains a stable presence on one side, while Dontae Johnson has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. Or never really was in favor with the coaching staff.
I bring all this up though because teams do need secondary help. The Dallas Cowboys are having cornerback Morris Claiborne evaluated for a sports hernia. Such an injury might not end his season, but he would be lost for some time. The Cowboys are leading the NFC East and looking like a serious contender, so losing a starting cornerback on a defense that has issues to sort through is troublesome for them.
With the NFL trade deadline arriving at 1:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, if you are the San Francisco 49ers, do you consider shopping Tramaine Brock? On the one hand, the team has talent problems, so you don’t want to unload some of your better players (and yes, he has been an overall solid player this season aside from the four touchdowns). On the other hand, the rebuilding process is at hand. If you can get a pick for Brock, with the chance to start Ward and Robinson the rest of this season, do you pull the trigger? I do not expect any trades between now and tomorrow. We saw the Jamie Collins trade, but player trades are fairly limited in the NFL. But, if you are the 49ers, you have to consider any and all options for rebuilding this team.