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Nick Wagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nearly out of healthy and available defensive ends, the San Francisco 49ers swung a trade for one late Tuesday afternoon, acquiring Keion White from the New England Patriots.
The Niners will send a 2026 sixth-round selection to New England for White and a 2026 seventh-round choice, sources told ESPN.
White’s addition comes at a critical time for the Niners, who have seen their group of defensive ends dwindle by the week because of injuries. The biggest loss came in Week 3 when star end Nick Bosa was lost for the season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.
The Niners left Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans with ends Bryce Huff (hamstring), Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) and Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) dealing with injuries that either prevented them from playing in that game or were suffered during it.
Cleveland Browns on Sunday and played in just 26% of the defensive snaps this season with six tackles and one pressure.
White was originally a second-round pick of New England’s in the 2023 NFL draft, the final draft with Bill Belichick as head coach. He played in 16 games as a rookie, with four starts, totaling 26 tackles, one sack, five quarterback hits and three pass breakups.
When Belichick’s former assistant Jerod Mayo took over as head coach in 2024, White’s role expanded as he played in every game (13 starts) and amassed 56 tackles, five sacks, 16 quarterback hits, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
White has one year remaining on his rookie deal at a base salary of $1.812 million for 2026. Given the injuries on the roster, the Niners might not be done making trades with more help for the defensive line still a possibility as they await the returns of Huff, Gross-Matos and Okuayinonu.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss contributed to this report.
