Getty Kyle Juszczyk and George Kittle represented the 49ers at the Sunday, February 6 Pro Bowl in Las Vegas.
As two NFL teams prepare to put a cap on the 2021-22 season on Sunday, February 13 for the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers have already begun making changes for the fall season to build on their NFC championship game run.
Already, the team has welcomed a new assistant coach in Anthony Lynn, while parting ways with tight end coach Jon Embree and losing both offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to the Chicago Bears.
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Roster wise, there’s already the high belief that Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers will listen to trade offers between now and the 2022 NFL Draft — making way for the Trey Lance era behind center.
But filling coaching spots and adjusting to a new signal-caller aren’t considered “priority No. 1” for the 49ers, according to one insider who covers the franchise.
What is ‘Priority No. 1?’
So if it’s not transitioning to a new quarterback or adding more quality coaches to Kyle Shanahan’s staff that isn’t at the top of the list, what is?
Well, per David Lombardi of The Athletic, he believes that the top area the ‘Niners need to address is up front: The offensive line. Here’s what Lombardi tweeted:
“O-line absolutely must be Priority No. 1 for the 49ers this offseason. They invested heavily there last offseason, and made some progress, but health and depth were again issues. This team still must grow stronger up front, especially in pass protection, for true sustainability.”
Lombardi doubled down in a subsequent tweet:
“And, yes, good pass protection is even more important for 49ers if Trey Lance is indeed getting the keys in 2022. Nothing can derail a learning QB quicker than busted pockets/immediate pressure — if SF wants to enjoy full benefits of Lance’s legs, they’ll need to protect for him.”
For what it’s worth, the trenches is definitely an area that shouldn’t be ignored. Especially when looking at what the 49ers are facing moving forward including the free agent market.
How the Trenches Are Looking
As noted in past Heavy on 49ers stories, the franchise has 29 players set to become unrestricted free agents by March according to Spotrac.
And three represent the offensive line: Laken Tomlinson, Tom Compton and Daniel Brunskill.
Of the three, Tomlinson has the highest value at $5,500,000. He’s also coming off this career achievement:
Tomlinson, however, is currently 29 and will be 30 soon. Plus, with the ‘Niners likely to extend contracts and pay the big bucks to both Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, there may not be enough of an enticing deal to keep Tomlinson on board. It’ll be considered a key blow for the 49ers’ offensive line considering Tomlinson put together a career-best season playing alongside Trent Williams. But there’s already online chatter of Tomlinson possibly heading to the AFC East:
Would the Dolphins target 49ers G Laken Tomlinson in FA? He has turned into a high-level LG since joining the 49ers in 2017, the same year McDaniel joined the 49ers.
As for Compton, the guard/tackle is on the tail end of his one-year, $1,075,000 deal he signed. While Compton had numerous games of strong pass protection, he had a rather up-and-down playoff season recently.
A big part of why the offense couldn’t get rolling was because our OL had a rough outing. Tom Compton may have had his worst game in pass pro, as he was getting beat, and getting beat quickly. We’re gonna need him to right the ship on Sunday if we want to have a good chance.
Plus, at 32 years of age, he likely won’t command a high price from teams. Having a healthier Mike McGlinchey for 2022 could also spell Compton’s end in the Bay Area.
Lastly, Brunskill is the youngest member of the 49ers’ UFA class along the offensive line at 28, plus is the cheapest at $850,000. Brunskill does bring a nastiness to the line and is unafraid to run down the field, seen below:
Don’t disregard how fast the 49ers’ *blockers* are. Here’s Daniel Brunskill sprinting with Deebo Samuel 40 yards beyond the line of scrimmage
Plus, he’s proven he can take on the most decorated defensive lineman in the NFC West in Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.
Daniel Brunskill owns Aaron Donald
But again, Brunskill is entering free agency and with his youth still in tact plus past history of success versus Donald, there could be other teams who flash a wealthier deal to him — a la Miami with McDaniel.
Now, should it be fully agreed that the offensive line is priority No. 1? Well, let’s look closely: The 49ers are already addressing the Lance/Garoppolo situation, plus they have a special teams spot to fill that shouldn’t take too long with a former head coach mentioned in this Heavy on 49ers story out there.
Maybe not every 49er fan agrees the line is the No. 1 priority. But it is a high priority.