What DeForest Buckner trade means for 49ers defense, Super Bowl chances

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Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYWed, October 28, 2026 at 1:16 AM UTC

The San Francisco 49ers made a roster-bolstering move, bringing back defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in a Tuesday trade with the Indianapolis Colts for a 2027 4th-round pick.

The Niners selected Buckner with the No. 7 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He spent the first three years of his career in San Francisco, where he became a Pro Bowl and All-Pro lineman and helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl 54.

However, a month after that 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game, where Buckner tallied six tackles and sacked Patrick Mahomes 1.5 times, he was traded to the Colts for a first-round draft pick. He signed a four-year contract extension with Indianapolis in 2020, then added a two-year extension through 2026.

Buckner continued to make a name for himself as one of the league's best defensive tackles with the Colts. He earned two additional Pro Bowl selections and was routinely named one of the Top 100 players. The 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract, reuniting with San Francisco hungry, healthy and with plenty of gas in the tank.

TRADE GRADES: Who won the DeForest Buckner trade?

Buckner has career numbers of 678 total tackles, 75.5 sacks with nine forced fumbles, 11 recoveries and scored twice in his career, once with San Francisco in 2019 and again with the Colts in 2023. He has 30 career pass deflections.

After his last stint ended in a Super Bowl defeat, he has unfinished business with the 49ers.

What DeForest Buckner trade does for 49ers' defense

Buckner isn't the young guy anymore. He returns to the 49ers as a veteran, a productive one, who can add experience, depth and another punch to a defensive line that has seen its fair share of injuries. Buckner has recorded 24 total tackles in five games in 2026, including four for loss, a fumble recovery and two pass deflections.

The 49ers needed to make a move, as they've had six D-line injuries, including Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Sam Okuayinonu, Mikail Kamara and Andrew Farmer II. Mykel Williams was hurt early in the season but made his debut in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks after working his way back from an ACL injury.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan noted the need to address the defensive line as injuries continued to pile up, but remained confident that general manager John Lynch and the 49ers front office would make a play happen. They delivered.

"That’s stuff, I know [president of football operations and general manager] John [Lynch] and our whole personnel department, they discuss that seven days a week for a long time right now," Shanahan told reporters Monday. "If there's stuff that makes sense that can improve our team in any spot, we'd love for that to happen. The obvious injury spots to us have been receiver and D-Line. We are getting a number of those guys back at both positions, but that also doesn't exclude us from looking to something that would make sense to help us."

Buckner's addition gives the 49ers defensive line another look, as they can rotate him in alongside Osa Odighizuwa, Keion White, Sebastian Valdez, and rookies Romello Height and Gracen Halton.

The Niners rank fourth in total defense, allowing just under 300 yards per game (299.3) and just 89 rushing yards per game, the fifth fewest.

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After their first loss of the season, a 29-20 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, the defense contained Bijan Robinson on the ground. He rushed for 63 yards on 20 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. He made most of his impact as a receiver, catching all five of his targets for 59 yards. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards and threw three touchdowns.

The 49ers couldn't get to Penix, recording zero sacks and zero QB hits. He was never hurried.

Constant pressure and pass rushing are areas the Niners have lacked, and they hope Buckner can spark improvement. The Niners rank 20th in quarterback sacks, with the defense recording 15 total.

"I didn't think we played as good as we have in the last couple weeks just at beating the one-on-ones and getting there. Those stats I think were right when you watch the film," Shanahan said. "The pressure one wasn't as good as it has been, so need to play better coming back next week."

Super Bowl 54 team getting back together

There's a saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and the Niners are taking that literally. They are getting their Super Bowl band back together. It's like when your favorite band has to round up its original group members for one grand finale tour. That's what it feels like in Santa Clara.

Buckner was originally traded, likely for contract reasons, not because of his play. He helped them go to the Super Bowl, along with other pieces of that 2019 team.

He rejoins the 49ers alongside fellow veterans from the Super Bowl LIV team, including tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., defensive end Nick Bosa, and linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.

Buckner joins the list of former 49ers returning to the Bay, including players from their 2019 NFC championship team, such as Greenlaw and Samuel, who both returned to San Francisco during the offseason.

The 49ers are 6-1 entering the bye week. They currently have the best odds to win Super Bowl 61, per BetMGM.

However, injuries have derailed them in the past, and they plan to use this time to rest and recover. In the meantime, Buckner will surely reacclimate to the team, especially under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

"We won't get back with the players until next Monday," Shanahan said. "We just spent all day with them today, just finished here a little bit ago. Tomorrow they'll come in, they'll do all workouts and things like that, do a little exercise on the field, have a meeting and then we'll be done with them. Then we'll come back Monday ready to go.”

The 49ers will host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 when they return from their bye.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What DeForest Buckner trade means for 49ers defense, Super Bowl chances

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