Will the 49ers be Trade Deadline sellers if they lose to the Cowboys?

The 49ers are at the crossroads.

If they beat the Cowboys this Sunday, they will enter their bye week at 4-4. They may even be in first place in the NFC West. They’ll be feeling better about themselves and hopeful about the rest of the season with Christian McCaffrey set to return from bilateral Achilles tendonitis.

But if they lose to the Cowboys, it’s 3-5, and they would have lost to a sorry team they’ve beaten three times in a row. The Cowboys are not good. If the 49ers can’t beat them, their season could be thrown into chaos.

‘The 49ers still believe they have what it takes to get through this’ writes The Athletic’s Michael Silver. “A loss to the Cowboys, whose most recent game was a 47-9 home loss to the Detroit Lions that left owner Jerry Jones on his weekly radio show, could change the mindset of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch somewhat. Maybe.” enticed to consider trade offers for the likes of starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, a 2023 second-team All-Pro who hasn’t looked nearly as good this season and whose contract expires next spring.”

According to Silver, the grumbling in the 49ers locker room could get a lot louder if the 49ers lose to the Cowboys. Veterans who aren’t part of the 49ers’ future may want a fresh start elsewhere. And the 49ers may want to play younger players.

The 49ers recently defeated the Seahawks without Ward on the field. Maybe they think he’s expendable.