SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers returned defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the roster Tuesday, sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts as part of the deal, the team announced. The move reunites Buckner with the club that selected him seventh overall in 2016 and comes as the 6-1 Niners prepare for the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
The acquisition followed months of talk inside the building. Tight end George Kittle said he and teammates regularly “chirp” general manager John Lynch about possible trades; Kittle acknowledged asking Lynch if the team was pursuing Chargers pass rusher Khalil Mack and said, “We all chirp him just to see if he’ll actually tell us anything.” Fullback Kyle Juszczyk commented “Come home” on an Oct. 18 Instagram post from Buckner expressing frustration in Indianapolis.
Lynch previously called trading Buckner to the Colts in March 2020 “the toughest thing” he had done on the job. The 49ers tried to replace him in subsequent years through a mix of draft picks and free agents, including Javon Kinlaw, Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, but the team struggled to match Buckner’s production while the Colts faltered.
The move drew a positive locker-room reaction, with Kittle, Juszczyk and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. celebrating on social media. The trade was described in the story as “the first, but perhaps not the last, meaningful addition” San Francisco makes before the deadline.
San Francisco’s loss at Atlanta exposed two areas of concern: a defensive line that produced zero sacks in that game and a depleted receiver room that relied heavily on second-year wideout Jordan Watkins. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Lynch and his staff have been working with those positions “front of mind” and that any additions that clearly improve the team would be welcomed during the bye and ahead of the deadline.
