The San Francisco 49ers face a tall task in their quest to replace defensive end Nick Bosa who suffered a torn ACL in the team’s Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Kyle Shanahan detailed how the 49ers will need to utilize multiple players to try and make up for the loss of their superstar defensive end. However, it stands to reason the club will try and acquire another DE to help give their roster more experience and depth on the edge.

Here are a handful of defensive ends who may be available for the 49ers to acquire ahead of the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline:

Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals star held out during training camp before agreeing to an increased salary on the year left on his contract. He’s due to be a free agent in the offseason, which would make him a one-year rental for San Francisco, ensuring they’re not on the hook for a sizable cap hit down the road. Hendrickson this season has 2.0 sacks, seven tackles and two tackles for loss in three games for the 2-1 Bengals. A big obstacle to acquiring Hendrickson may be the draft capital the Bengals require to trade him. He may be worth a first-round pick depending on the trade market near the deadline.

Jaelen Phillips, Miami Dolphins

Phillips is on his fifth-year option and a free agent after the season. The 2021 first-round pick had 22.0 sacks his first two-and-a-half years before being slowed down by injury in the second of 2022, 2023, and 2024. Despite the lack of production the last couple of seasons, it may be worth a late-round pick to see if the 49ers can get Phillips back to the form he had early in his NFL career.

Micheal Clemons, New York Jets

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is very familiar with Clemons, who was a fourth-round pick of the New York Jets when Saleh was the head coach there in 2022. Clemons hasn’t had big-time production with just 7.5 sacks in 52 games, but he wouldn’t cost much and has some inside-out versatility thanks to his 6-5, 263-pound frame.

Arden Key, Tennessee Titans

Key’s 2021 season in San Francisco resuscitated his foundering career. That year he had a career-best 6.5 sacks and since that season began he’s posted 23.5 sacks in 70 games. Now the 49ers could use Key to help them resuscitate their season. He had some inside-out versatility in San Francisco, but they could really use his presence on the edge both as a pass rusher and run defender.

Tyree Wilson, Las Vegas Raiders

Wilson hasn’t lived up to his status as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Perhaps the Raiders aren’t looking to part ways with the young DE just yet, but if they are it’s easy to see the 49ers looking to add him as a potential reclamation project. Wilson is showing some improvement as a pass rusher and last season he was a strong run defender for Vegas.

Dondrea Tillman, Denver Broncos

Denver’s defense is loaded and after a 1-2 start they could wind up shaking up their strong defensive unit by dealing the young defensive end. He had a nice year last year with 5.0 sacks, but he’s struggled to produce in 2025. Tillman was an undrafted rookie out of Indiana last season and his start to this year isn’t promising. The 49ers should still be willing to take a swing for a young DE with upside who won’t cost them much money near or long-term.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 6 defensive ends the 49ers could trade for after Nick Bosa’s season ending injury

Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire