Shanahan Willing To Gauge Interest In Staley At Deadline
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Wednesday he's open to having trade discussions about Joe Staley with the trade deadline looming.
But it's going to take a lot to pry the standout left tackle from San Francisco.
"Joe is a guy that I definitely want here and definitely a guy I wouldn't want to lose by any means. I'm not going to sit here, if anybody called for any one of our players, it's not like you just hang up the phone. If people want to offer the world, you've always got to listen," Shanahan said.
Shanahan's club is 0-7 for the second time in franchise history following the 30-point defeat to the Cowboys on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. Staley, 33, is the longest-tenured 49er and might not fit in the team's long-term rebuilding project. The trade deadline is Tuesday.
San Francisco's new-look front office headed by general manager John Lynch has gone through a youth movement since hired last winter, which included releasing veteran linebacker NaVorro Bowman earlier this month to replace him with first-round pick Reuben Foster.
"You've got to always try to think what's going to help your team and make your team better. To lose a guy like Joe Staley, that wouldn't be something I'd be excited about, so that'd have to take a whole lot," Shanahan said.
Prohibiting the 49ers from moving Staley could be their lack of viable replacements. Right tackle Trent Brown, 24, has shown promise, but questions remain about his conditioning. And he's played on the right side since getting drafted. Brown is currently in the league concussion protocol and missed practice Wednesday after leaving the Cowboys game in the second half.
The team's other available options include reserves Garry Gilliam, Zane Beadles and undrafted rookie Erik Magnuson. Beadles and Magnuson have worked predominantly at guard, but have played tackle in the past. Darrell Williams Jr. is on the practice squad.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard will make his second career start Sunday and the 49ers may be inclined to keep their offensive line intact to get the most from their signal caller.
The Eagles, San Francisco's next opponent, could be in the market for Staley's services. Coach Doug Pederson lost his veteran left tackle, Jason Peters, for the season with a torn ACL on Monday night against Washington.
Pederson offered unsolicited praise of Staley when asked about finding tackles during his conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday.
"Edge pass rushers, these guys are beasts, these guys are monsters. If you don't have those tackles that can pass set, they're on islands quite a bit out there," Pederson said. "You look at Joe Staley and what he's done, his career and the dominance that he's had in his career. These are guys, they get better with time."
The plan to replace Peters remains fluid. The team has discussed moving Lane Johnson from right tackle to the left side, Pederson said, to insert Halapoulivaati Vaitai into the starting lineup.
"So we've got a couple of combinations there that we're working through. We'll have our answer later in the week," Pederson said.
NOTES: The 49ers got fullback Kyle Juszczyk back at practice Wednesday after missing the last two games with a back and rib injury. He said he expects to play in Philadelphia. ... Right guard Brandon Fusco (biceps), defensive back K'Waun Williams (quad) and defensive end Aaron Lynch (calf) missed practice Wednesday. Staley was given the day off.
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