On Friday, the 49ers bolstered their already-stout defensive line by trading for athletic edge rusher Randy Gregory.
On the latest episode of "49ers Talk," Matt Maiocco asked NBC Sports' Cris Collinsworth for his immediate reaction to San Francisco's trade.
"He may only play 15-20 snaps on this team," Collinsworth said. "It's possible, we don't know what his role is going to be. But when you are taking out your star players or your starters, and you're putting in Randy Gregory as a substitute? That [offensive] tackle is looking around going 'wait, wait, wait,' because physically, there has never been any sort of question of what he [Gregory] can do.
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"It was just always could he put it all together. This [San Francisco] is a pretty good place to put it all together because he's not going to have to be the star. He's not even going to have to be the starter. He's going to have to be a role player who has significant moments. And if he comes up with two or three sacks in the playoffs or in big games this year, whatever they are paying him and that sixth-round draft pick will be just fine and dandy for everyone here."
As Collinsworth noted, the 49ers' defensive line already is extremely deep, with eight different players averaging double-digit pass-rushing snaps per game through the first four weeks of the season.
While Gregory won't be counted on to produce like a superstar, he has shown the ability to make impact plays in big-time moments.
Gregory has a 13.3 percent pressure rate in the postseason, which is on par with the playoff production the 49ers lost with the departures of Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu.
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The 49ers have had tremendous success with mid-season trades, and the track record of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek offers plenty of room for optimism surrounding Gregory's ability to become an impact player on San Francisco's loaded defensive front.
After a career year with the Cowboys in 2021, Gregory saw his production decline during his stint with the Denver Broncos. The 49ers now will attempt to make Gregory the latest success story in the Kocurek School of Career Revival.