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To the surprise of no one, the 49ers are trading for a pass rusher — and they might not be done making moves to bolster a decimated defensive line that hit rock bottom in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.

Keion White, a bigger-than-average 6-foot-5, 285-pound edge rusher, is headed to the 49ers from the Patriots for a nominal cost: San Francisco is sending New England a 2026 sixth-round pick while receiving a seventh-rounder along with the pass rusher. The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the trade.

White’s size allows him to play on both the exterior and interior of the defensive line. The Patriots picked him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and immediately plugged him into a versatile role that showcased this adaptability — White’s relative athletic score is elite compared to defensive tackles, giving him an advantage rushing against offensive guards.

White rewarded New England with a promising 5.0-sack season in 2024, but a coaching change led to a sharp downturn in playing time. He missed a game due to illness and eventually became a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.

The 49ers see similarities here to their 2021 acquisition of Charles Omenihu, which turned into a smashing success for them. The 49ers traded a sixth-round pick for Omenihu, who had fallen out of favor with the Houston Texans. He blossomed over the next season-plus under 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.

Like White, Omenihu brought a big frame to the 49ers — one that Kocurek could plug into multiple pass-rushing alignments. Once the 49ers return Bryce Huff from his hamstring injury (he’s expected to miss one more game), they’ll hope that White will make a good inside-out pass-rushing pairing together with Yetur Gross-Matos, who’s also currently out with a hamstring injury.

Both coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch emphasized recently that the 49ers would prefer to trade for a player who was under contract beyond this 2025 season. Such a move would stand a better chance of satisfying the 49ers’ desire to fortify their roster over the entire course of the informal three-year window that begin with their 2025 roster reset and youth infusion.

It’s significant, then, that White still has one season remaining beyond this one on his rookie contract (Omenihu did, too, when the 49ers traded for him in 2021).

White will cost the 49ers only about $772,000 this season because his base salary is prorated and the Patriots have already paid for eight games of it. His 2026 salary-cap hit will be $1.81 million. This falls well within the 49ers’ cost structure.

Now, the question pivots to what the 49ers might do next. They tried out four edge rushers on Tuesday: Clelin Ferrell (who was with the team in 2023), Stanford product Casey Toohill, Kingsley Jonathan, and Andrew Farmer. They might also sign one of those players to further bolster their beleaguered line for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

And then, perhaps the 49ers will leave the Big Apple with a prize. Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is a prominent player who’s drawn big trade interested. New York has reportedly rebuffed all offers so far, but perhaps a big 49ers win might make them reconsider. The Giants are 2-6, after all.

And the 49ers just might be willing to make a bigger splash to fortify a team that’s already opened eyes with how much injury damage it has overcome over its 5-3 start.

The trade deadline is one week away.