49ers trade LB Jonas Griffith and a ‘22 7th round pick to the Broncos for two Day 3 picks

Griffith was unlikely to make the roster, so this is a smart deal for the Niners to receive some compensation in return

Today is the day where some players’ dreams come true as they make an NFL roster for the first time. Of course, there’s always the other side of the coin, where a player, who worked their tail off, came up short of making the team’s initial 53-man roster.

In the case of the 49ers, they are loaded at specific positions and will release players that deserve to be on NFL rosters. Linebacker is one. Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, and Azeez Al-Shaair are your starters.

After that, Marcell Harris has played his way into the next guy up while Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was likely to round out the fifth linebacker spot for the Niners.

Where does that leave a player like Jonas Griffith? Well, on the outside, looking in. On Tuesday morning, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, San Francisco traded Griffith and a ‘22 seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for a 2022 sixth-round pick and 2023 seventh-round pick.

John Elway and John Lynch continue to do business. This was a smart trade business-wise for the Niners as Griffith was unlikely to make the roster. Add in that he was an undrafted free agent just a couple of years ago, and receiving any kind of compensation for Griffith looks like good business for San Francisco.

You never know with these late-round picks. A seventh is how you end up with a guy like Jordan Willis, who had a great preseason.

With a deep defensive line, let’s see if the 49ers make any other deals today.