The 49ers have traded for DeForest Buckner

It felt like it was only a matter of time. The Seattle Seahawks’ trade for Quenton Nelson may have sped up the San Francisco 49ers’ thought process, but multiple reporters have confirmed the Niners are trading for DeForest Buckner.

The 49ers will be on the hook for $7.944 million this season for Buckner, who is a free agent after this season.

Buckner is an unspeakable upgrade compared to the players who’ve been playing the role Buckner will in Raheem Morris’s scheme. In the last game, Sebastian Valdez was getting pushed around. The same is and has been true for Osa Odighizuwa.

The move for Buckner allows players like Valdez and Odighizuwa to become role players. It takes some off Gracen Halton’s plate. The pecking order and domino effect should make everybody better.

Plus, the Buckner is used to playing against double teams. In the first month of the season, Buckner was double-teamed on 36.4% of his pass rushes. That’s a number that’s actually down from 49.5%. That’s because Buckner has aligned at 5-technique or wider on 13.3% of his snaps, the highest rate since he entered the league.