The 49ers’ leaned heavily on their offensive line depth last season, and now that unit will once again be among the deepest on the entire roster.
In 2019, reserves Justin Skule, Daniel Brunskill and Ben Garland started a combined 18 games at both tackle spots, right guard and center. There will be also be some changes up front after veteran left tackle Joe Staley announced his retirement and right guard Mike Person was released this offseason.
The addition of former Washington left tackle Trent Williams should solidify the left side of the line, but there are still some battles to play out among the reserves and at the starting right guard spot.
We switched up our depth chart projection style some for this group since so many players are vying for different spots. Ordering them numerically makes less sense than grouping them together. Here’s our projection for the offensive line heading into camp:
LT Trent Williams
The 49ers swung a trade on Day 3 of the draft to land Williams shortly before six-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley announced his retirement. Fetching Williams was perhaps San Francisco’s best move of the offseason. He’s a seven-time Pro Bowler who missed last season due to a holdout, and then a stint on the Non-Football Injury List after he had a cancerous growth removed from his head. He hasn’t played since 2018, so there are some questions about whether he’ll return to Pro Bowl form. Still, he’s the team’s best option at left tackle and is one of the league’s best players at the position when healthy.
LG Laken Tomlinson
Scooping Tomlinson for a fifth-round pick in a 2017 trade with the Lions. The former first-round pick has missed only one game since joining the 49ers, and offers a steady presence in the middle of a good offensive line. He’s not an All-Pro caliber player, but he’s coming off his best year where he arguably could’ve landed a Pro Bowl nod. Consistency is key along the offensive front, and Tomlinson has been a rock on the left side of the line. Whether it’s pass blocking or run blocking, he’s a quality player who’ll slide in again as the starter for the fourth straight year.
C Weston Richburg
A knee injury cut Richburg’s 2019 season short, and knee and quad injuries slowed him down during the 2018 campaign. However, Richburg is a difference maker for San Francisco when he’s on the field. He’s a very good pass blocker who was sorely missed during Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers have enough depth to survive without Richburg, but they’re at their best when he’s manning the middle. The only way he’s not the starter is if his knee injury lingers into the season.
RG Daniel Brunskill
Right guard is the lone starting job that’s truly up for grabs on the 49ers’ offensive front. Mike Person held that job last season and was let go early in free agency. Brunskill was his replacement in 2019 and looks to have the inside track for the job this season. He’s better at tackle than he is at guard, but the fact he did a serviceable job in his first experience at the position is a good sign for his future development. There’ll be plenty of competition for this spot, but Brunskill gets the early nod.
RT Mike McGlinchey
It looked like McGlinchey might move to left tackle once Joe Staley retired, but now it appears he’s settled in long-term on the right side. He saw a small dip in production last year after a stellar rookie campaign, but Pro Football Focus had him graded better as a pass blocker in 2019, which is the key area he needed to improve. He missed four games with a knee injury, and played his best football after recovering from arthroscopic surgery. There’s another level for McGlinchey to reach, and he could get there with a full season of action in 2020.
Interior reserve top contenders
Ben Garland
Tom Compton
Ross Reynolds
Colton McKivitz
This is a group that should all be in the running for the starting right guard spot. Garland is also the team’s top reserve at center. He did a fine job as the team’s starting center over the final three games and the postseason. His versatility makes him a valuable reserve.
Compton was one of the team’s outside free agent signings this offseason. The eight-year veteran has experience in Shanahan’s offense and is looking for only his second full-time starting gig since joining the NFL with Washington in 2012.
Reynolds was an undrafted rookie last year who spent the year on the practice squad. He’ll be an intriguing player to watch. As will McKivitz, the rookie fifth-round pick. He played right tackle at West Virginia, but his skill set may be better suited as an interior lineman in the NFL. The 49ers may opt to play him at his natural position, but it’d make sense to see him make a position change as well.
Swing tackle top contenders
Justin Skule
Shon Coleman
If McKivitz doesn’t stay at tackle, the two top contenders for swing tackle spots are Skule and Coleman. Skule, a 2019 sixth-round pick, was thrust into the starting lineup when Joe Staley went down with an injury in Week 2. Skule did an admirable job in eight starts and gave himself an inside lane to the top reserve tackle spot this year.
Coleman was supposed to be the swing tackle a season ago, but a broken ankle in the preseason put him out for the year. He re-signed with San Francisco this offseason on a one-year deal and will be back in the competition for the same job. Skule has the leg up for now, but expanded rosters may allow the team to keep both and shore up their depth at tackle.
Outside looking in
Kofi Amichia
Jake Brendel
Jaryd Jones-Smith
Ray Smith
Leonard Wester
Perhaps the biggest name to watch in this group is Jones-Smith. He was an undrafted rookie in 2018, and signed with the 49ers’ practice squad in October last season. He’s listed at 6-7, 345 pounds, and got nearly a full season’s worth of work on the practice squad.
Brendel is the only player among those five with NFL experience. He spent three seasons in Miami from 2016-18, and saw action in 21 games with three starts. Every player on the 90-man has a chance to make the final roster, but these five face a particularly steep climb.
