The Tennessee Titans made their second offensive line addition of free agency on Tuesday evening when the team agreed to terms with ex-San Francisco 49ers versatile lineman, Daniel Brunskill.
The 29-year-old spent four seasons in San Francisco, all with new Titans general manager Ran Carthon. He started for two of those seasons and proved to be a valuable backup in the other two thanks to his versatility.
Brunskill is a rare case of an offensive lineman who can literally play every position upfront, although his starting experience comes at center and guard.
Nevertheless, Brunskill is expected to grab a starting role on the inside, and most likely that will come at one of the guard spots. If he somehow doesn’t land a starting gig, Brunskill will be a very valuable depth piece.
In order to get more information on the latest former 49er the Titans are signing, we once again turn to Kyle Madson of Niners Wire.
What are Brunskill's strengths?
KM: Brunskill’s biggest strength is his versatility. He played four positions for the 49ers along the offensive line including both tackle spots and center, but he settled in nicely as their starting right guard in 2020 and 2021. He was durable and dependable, and a good enough athlete to effectively get outside on screens and outside runs.
What are Brunskill's weaknesses?
KM: He’s susceptible to playing really poorly at times. There were stretches in 2021 where it felt like the 49ers needed to replace him right away. He can get beat in pass protection and despite a nice performance vs Aaron Donald once, he struggles against the top interior lineman in the NFL. Over the course of a full year he’s a fine player, but there will be some rough patches that really stick out. A big key for him is he has to play guard. He really wasn’t as good at center when he played there, so mark that down as a weakness too. He can play C, but that shouldn’t be his primary role.
What are your thoughts on Brunskill as a starter?
KM: Ideally Brunskill probably wouldn’t start for a team, but he’s not a disaster. He’s just a guy. He’s fine. If he’s a backup OL and the first reserve off the bench — great. That’s the perfect spot for him. As a full-time starter he’s just okay, but Tennessee can still put together a good OL with him starting on it.
