Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Position-by-Position Prediction of 2016 Roster in Advance of Free Agency

By Peter Panacy

Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 11
Next
October 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Joe Staley (74) blocks Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Joe Staley (74) blocks Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Line (9)

Joe Staley, Andrew Tiller, Daniel Kilgore, free agent, Anthony Davis, Trent Brown, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, rookie

Carrying nine guys along the offensive line may be a bit of a stretch, although there are so many questions here that’s it’s nearly impossible to do otherwise.

Left guard Alex Boone is headed to free agency, and he’ll be commanding a hefty salary this offseason. Do the 49ers want to open their pocketbooks for him or try and get cheaper and younger along the line?

Guard Andrew Tiller came on strong in the latter half of last year and is likely penciled in as a starter. And we should assume, based on his Twitter suggestions, retired right tackle Anthony Davis returns as has been frequently suggested.

San Francisco may want to tap into free agency to address some deficiencies along the right side of the O-line. Cleveland Browns lineman Mitchell Schwartz is an attractive free-agent to be, and the 49ers might consider adding recently released lineman Geoff Schwartz as well.

None of this would bode well for younger linemen like Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas or Ian Silberman.

Although tackle Trent Brown may be enticing enough to watch.

Next: Defensive Line