Why the 49ers didn’t make any splash moves at the trade deadline

Unless you live in Houston, you're unlikely to know much about the defensive tackle the San Francisco 49ers traded for on Tuesday.

The Niners needed another body along the defensive line, so they traded for Khalil Davis of the Houston Texans .

You were left disappointed if you were hoping for Calais Campbell, D.J. Jones, or a notable name at the deadline. After watching Davis, I see that he's flashed as a run defender but has also been easily moved off his spot. Davis does not hold up well against double teams, which is concerning. His best qualities include hustling down the line of scrimmage or ten yards down the field after the ball carrier.

As a pass rusher, Davis can effectively push the pocket with a bull rush, but he doesn't win early or cleanly on a down-to-down basis. The 49ers hope Davis's ability to move the quarterback off his spot by using a speed-to-power rush will translate into sacks for Nick Bosa or Leonard Floyd.

The 49ers got second-round production from Charles Omenihu and Maliek Collins — the last two defensive linemen they traded for from the Texans — for late Day 3 draft picks. While Collins was already established, Omenihu was an up-and-coming athlete with untapped potential.

The lack of deals at the deadline could say more about how the team feels about the players they're getting back and the trade market in general.

Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings will bolster the offense on third downs and in the red zone. I never bought the idea that the 49ers would trade for a wide receiver when they have two coming back this week in McCaffrey — their third and short and red zone specialist — and Jennings, whose nickname is based on keeping the offense on the field after converting a third down.

I wonder how much Randy Gregory and Chase Young left a sour taste in the Niners' mouths when deciding whether to take on another "rental" this year. Sam Okuayinonu is an ascending player who has earned more reps while continuing to be productive. There's no reason to take Sam O off the field on passing downs, but that would have been the case if there were a trade.

Okuayinonu's win percentage as a pass rusher is five-tenths lower than Brian Burns and Maxx Crosby's and better than some trade candidates like Bryce Huff, Chase Young, and Azeez Ojulari.

Since Week 4, Sam O has seen his playing time increase from 29 percent to 40, 42, and 51, only to fall to 45 percent against the Cowboys — Okuayinonu still had a team-high 20 percent pressure rate against Dallas.

But it puts pressure on Okuayinonu to continue performing. It also means that Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd must be even better. Yetur Gross-Matos should return at some point, but there's been no evidence suggesting that he'll contribute.

I've been shouting from the mountain tops that the defense has consistently trended in the right direction all season. Through the first half of the season, amid all the injuries, the 49ers are fifth in schedule-adjusted efficiency. They are fourth at defending No. 1 overall receivers and far and away No. 1 at taking away slot receivers — hello, Deommodore Lenoir.

Turnovers helped mask the yards and third-down conversions. The 49ers are fifth in turnovers per drive. If there's a regression in third downs and yards allowed, the red zone trips should drop, which means there will be fewer points allowed down the stretch.

Dre Greenlaw's return will help, but the Niners are betting on De'Vondre Campbell to be the player he was against the Cowboys and not the one he was in the first month and a half of the season. If Campbell picks up where he left off before the bye week, the run defense will be worlds better, which plays right into the strength of the defense.

Nothing needs to change in the secondary other than health. When Charvarius Ward is right, the 49ers have one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

There are plenty of risks and gambles the Niners took, but that would have been true had they made a trade. When you think about how successful this rookie class has been, it's easy to understand why the team was reluctant to give up any draft capital.

The 49ers have the players on the roster to make a playoff push and win in the postseason. That was true before the trade deadline and remains a fact now that we're past it.