The 49ers are digging deep into their shallow depth chart to find a starting tackle for Sunday’s NFC West showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. Starting left tackle Joe Staley is still out with a broken fibula, and starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey will miss the contest after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery following an injury he suffered in Week 5. Sixth-round rookie Justin Skule is already filling in for Staley, which means Daniel Brunskill is the next player up to step in for McGlinchey.
Brunskill, a third-year tackle who made his way into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Falcons in 2017, will be making his first NFL start Sunday. The San Diego State product spent 2017 and 2018 on Atlanta’s practice squad before signing a deal to play for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football.
The AAF folded in early April, and Brunskill signed with San Francisco on the 11th of that month. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters it was Brunskill’s AAF tape that stood out to the team’s front office.
The inexperienced offensive lineman made his way up the depth chart throughout the offseason, and was the first reserve lineman to enter the game during the team’s final dress rehearsal of the preseason in Week 3 against the Chiefs. He got to play with the first-team offensive line when starting right guard Mike Person checked out of the game.
Brunskill’s rise at tackle is particularly fascinating considering his history at the position. He was a walk-on at San Diego State as an offensive lineman and redshirted his freshman year while he moved to tight end. He played for three years as a tight end, and was an honorable mention All-Conference pick as a junior, along with an honorable mention Pro Football Focus All-American.
A depth issue along the Aztecs offensive line pushed Brunskill back to offensive tackle for his senior season. He stepped right back into his own position and started 14 games at right tackle on his way to earning a Second Team All-Conference honor.
His three-year move to tight end probably afforded him some additional athleticism that will serve him well in Shanahan’s offense. It’s probably too much to expect Pro Bowl caliber play from the first-time starter, but Shanahan is confident in the former undrafted free agent.
“He did a real good job,” Shanahan said of Brunskill’s offseason. “That’s why he was on the team. That’s why he wasn’t on practice squad and when he got in there for one play versus Pittsburgh and did a hell of a job, got to play a little bit two nights ago versus Cleveland, very similar to Skule in that the game is not too big for him, he’s very efficient, he’s a smart player. He will get the job done and he will be ready for the challenge on third down.”
Brunskill will start at least four games for San Francisco, starting Sunday in Los Angeles. He’d also face Washington, the Panthers and the Cardinals if McGlinchey only misses four weeks. It’s the Seahawks and Cardinals the two weeks after that. If he can step in and perform for the 49ers the way he filled in during his senior year at San Diego State, San Francisco’s offense should be able to tread water until their starters are healthy.
