DeForest Buckner can finish job with 49ers after Colts trade – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

DeForest Buckner, whose last game with the 49ers was in the Super Bowl, returns to the organization with the intention of finishing the job.

The 49ers acquired Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area. He must pass a medical examination to finalize the exchange.

The 49ers are off and return to action on Sunday, November 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders at Levi’s Stadium.

The deal, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, was completed just hours after the Seattle Seahawks acquired three-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from the Colts. The Seahawks sent a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Indianapolis.

By comparison, Buckner, 32, seems like a bargain.

He provides help to the 49ers’ run and pass defense. San Francisco had nine sacks in two games against Seattle and Washington, but did not hit Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the Falcons’ 29-20 victory Sunday.

The 49ers fell to 6-1 this season, but still hold a multi-game lead in the NFC West standings against Seattle (4-3) and the Los Angeles Rams (3-4).

Buckner is only signed through this season, so he is slated for unrestricted free agency in March.

Buckner returns to the 49ers after the team dealt him to the Colts in March 2020 for a first-round pick.

He played his first four seasons with the 49ers after being selected 7th overall in the 2016 draft out of Oregon.

The 49ers traded Buckner after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV.

Buckner was expected to sign a new contract at the time of the trade to the Colts. The 49ers ended up re-signing defensive lineman Arik Armstead and selecting defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw in the first round of the 2020 draft.

This was Buckner’s seventh season with the Colts. His frustration grew with the underperforming franchise to the point that two weeks ago he expressed his displeasure with the situation.

“I’m tired of the same song and dance every year,” Buckner said after the Colts’ loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.

Buckner has 31 tackles and four sacks in seven games with the Colts this season. Indianapolis is 2-5 this season and recently fired general manager Chris Ballard.

Buckner immediately became the team’s best player as a defensive tackle. He joins a group of interior defensive linemen that includes Osa Odighizuwa, Gracen Halton, Sebastian Valdez and James Thompson Jr.

The 49ers expect to get more help after the bye week, with defensive end Nick Bosa expected to return from a calf injury that limited him to just two games this season. Defensive tackle CJ West is also expected to return from a knee ailment that required a procedure to remove a bone chip.

Now Buckner returns with a chance to help the 49ers win the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy that eluded them during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch tenure.

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