The San Francisco 49ers are one of 10 teams who have “expressed interest” in soon-to-be free agent pass rusher Trent Murphy, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. Murphy is possibly the top pass-rusher likely to hit the open market, though Washington has been trying to get him signed to an extension, per multiple reports.
A second-round pick in 2014, Murphy had nine sacks and three forced fumbles in 2016. After bulking up to switch to a line position for 2016, he lost the weight again to move back to linebacker due to injuries to other players at the time. In 2017, he faced a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, appealed and denied.
That all went out the window when he tore his ACL and MCL in a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. His suspension was served while he was on injured reserve, and is good to play in Week 1 in 2017.
There being “10 teams” in on Murphy isn’t too surprising, especially as he and his agent will want to make it clear that there is a market for him. The 49ers desperately need help rushing the passer, but I don’t feel like Murphy is a sizable enough upgrade, though the 49ers could be being used as leverage and that might not matter at all.