Niners Nation
Will we see significant changes to the line this offseason?
Earlier this week, I wrote about how the defensive line – specifically the pass rush – is the San Francisco 49ers’ most significant need this offseason. If the pass rush is priority 1, figuring out the offensive line should be priority 1B.
Heading into the offseason, the 49ers only have two offensive linemen guaranteed as starters in 2025: left tackle Trent Williams and right guard Dominick Puni. That leaves three potential openings John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan need to fill at a position group that’s had its fair share of turnover in recent years.
Aaron Banks, Ben Bartch, Jon Feliciano, and Jaylon Moore are unrestricted free agents, and decisions on who stays and who goes will be made over the next few weeks. Banks’ potential departure opens an immediate need for a left guard for now. While free agency opens one spot, the other two openings on the offensive line require removing a multi-year starter.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz and center Jake Brendel have both played under plenty of scrutiny on the 49ers offensive line. Brendel was signed by the 49ers in 2021 after last playing in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins in 2018. He mainly played on special teams in 2021 before receiving a massive promotion to starting center after just three starts with the Dolphins. Brendel has been at center in all 51 games since then.
McKivitiz’s path to the starting lineup was a little more straightforward than Brendel’s. The 49ers selected him with the 153rd pick in the 2020 draft, placing him behind Mike McGlinchey on the depth chart. McKivitiz would make a spot start here and there as the backup – including a massive performance in Week 18 of 2021 against the Rams, replacing an injured Trent Williams – before taking the right tackle spot full-time after McGlinchey signed with Denver.
Brendel and McKivitz fit in the tier of players who are good enough to start but a player you can improve on. The 49ers offense ranked third in points, fourth in passing, and third in rushing in 2023 with a line that included McKivitz and Brendel, so in theory, it can work. But there are signs of room for improvement. McKivitz has led the 49ers in pressures allowed in the last two seasons, and Brendel had a sharp regression, which included leading the 49ers offense in penalties called against.
So, how can the 49ers address the three needs on the offensive line this offseason? The left guard spot is likely the easiest to solve by retaining at least one of the free agents above. Banks has been there the last few years, but Bartch shined in his quick chance to play this season, and Feliciano has the experience. The 49ers could even flip Puni to left guard and retain Barch to play right guard, where he played 699 snaps for Jacksonville in 2021.
Brendel and McKivitz could be the answers for their respective spots,...
