San Francisco 49ers: Breaking Down the Offensive Line in 2016

The San Francisco 49ers offensive line was one of the worst in the league in 2015. The starting five has been shaken up in free agency and will need to be solidified in the 2016 NFL Draft. Niner Noise looks at the potential starters and expectations for the line in 2016.

The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of salary cap space. They have 12 picks in the 2016 NFL draft. The roster is young and was relatively poor in 2015. All of those factors contribute to the reality that 2016 is not a “reload” for the 49ers. They are knee-deep in a rebuild. Besides perhaps 10-15 players, this roster is unsettled and could see changes among starters at most positions.

The positional group that has seen the most change, and realistically should see more by the time the 2016 season begins, is the offensive line.

The development from the beginning of the 2015 season to the end was encouraging, spurred by the demotion of starting right guard Jordan Devey. But more changes are necessary. No quarterback, whether it is incumbent Blaine Gabbert or a newly drafted rookie, will be successful behind a line as porous as the 49ers offensive line in 2015.

I recently published a free-agency piece that addressed the 49ers offensive line with a player option. If you’d like to revisit that article–and some of the Pro Football Focus grades of the 49ers in 2015–feel free to do so.

To save you time, I’ll simply remind you that the right side of the offensive line was horrendous last year. Whether you agree with how Pro Football Focus grades or not, one thing is clear: the 49ers need to do a better job at the line of scrimmage in 2016.

Injuries towards the end of last season forced the 49ers to play musical chairs among the guards and tackles, including moving starting right tackle Erik Pears to guard and introducing rookie Trent Brown into the starting lineup for the final few weeks of the season. The shuffling that occured, although brought on by injuries, proved beneficial in giving the team an opportunity to see different combinations of players.

The play of rookie Trent Brown was encouraging and may give him a chance to earn the starting right tackle spot in 2016. For the sake of clarity, let’s begin on the left side of the line–which happens to be the most solidified–and then move across each position to determine who might be the starters next season.

Left Tackle

Beginning at left tackle for the 49ers, there is no doubt who will control the blindside. Joe Staley is not only the leader of this offensive line, but he has been a leader of the team for many seasons now. After earning a trip to his fifth-straight Pro Bowl, Staley has continued to make his mark as one of the most consistent left tackles in the league.

In what was considered a relatively down year for Staley, he still posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 86.6.(subscription required) That score places him in the Pro Bowl level according to their grading scale and serves as evidence that, even when not at his best, Staley is still one of the best tackles in the league.

He is incredibly athletic for his size–6’5″ and 315 pounds–and excels in run blocking as well as pass protection. The 49ers, both young and old, will need to look to Joe throughout this rebuild for leadership and guidance.

Provided he remains healthy, there is no question that Staley will be the left tackle for the team. The continued excellence of Staley is one of the lone bright spots on this offensive line as the team transitions into 2016.

Now we get into the less-solidified aspects of the offensive line. Yes, you’re understanding that correctly. Regardless of who the assumed starters are, every position besides left tackle is cause for concern.

Left Guard

Left guard recently became a priority for the 49ers after the 2015 starter opted to take his talents elsewhere.

With Boone’s departure, guard became an immediate position to address. The 2015 49ers on the roster are likely not the answer to the problem. Andrew Tiller, who ended the season playing left guard due to the injuries mentioned above, seemed more comfortable on the right side of the line.

Although it might seem relatively simple to just flop a guy to the other side, there are changes in stances and lower-body performance. Tiller can benefit by playing next to Staley, but should probably remain on the right side of the line.

Who replaces Alex Boone at left guard if not Tiller? It seems as though the 49ers might have a plan.

Beadles had a Pro Football Focus score of 47.9 and was a relatively unimpressive starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. That draft was particularly loaded with offensive lineman in the first two rounds and Beadles was still drafted high. Coming out of college, Beadles was considered one of the best lineman in the draft and highly consistent.

His career, although not as impressive as he might have liked, has been a model of sustainability. After some of the injuries suffered last season, it’s easy to understand why the 49ers have brought Beadles on. He’ll feel comfortable in the zone-blocking scheme that Chip Kelly likes to run and should compete for the starting guard position.

Center

The center position should feel settled. But it simply isn’t. Ideally, former-starter Daniel Kilgore is fully healed from his 2014 injury and is ready to completely re-assume his position as the starting center.

He finished the season as the starting center but only played in five total games, starting just three. He looked solid, if not completely ready, in his starts and is surely benefiting from another offseason to heal. The 49ers need Kilgore to come back healthy and ready to lead. The expectations for Kilgore are high. We’ve seen him play well prior to his injury.

The 49ers have a backup to Kilgore in Marcus Martin that has been unimpressive in his time as a 49er. He lacks functional strength at the point of attack and will need to develop physically before he is ever effective as an everyday starter. Martin is still young–he was only 20 years old when the 49ers drafted him–and he could succeed in Kelly’s scheme that masks some deficiencies among the offensive line.

Saying that Martin shouldn’t and won’t start is not particularly bold. In his time as a 49er thus far, it’s clear that he isn’t quite as pro-ready as expected when he was drafted out of USC.

He’ll make the team and serve as a backup interior lineman. But the 49ers need Kilgore healthy and ready to return to form if they plan on improving as a unit in 2016.

Right Guard

Andrew Tiller should have this locked down. If not, Chip Kelly and his staff need to re-assess what they look for in offensive lineman. Tiller played very well after stepping in for Jordan Devey late in the season. You almost have to wonder what the hell Tomsula and his staff saw in Devey that made them wait so long.

Nonetheless, Tiller made great strides as a starter and has earned the right to walk into training camp as the favorite for either of the guard positions. He seems better suited for right guard–where he took over for Devey–and will benefit from continued experience at the position.

Continuity is a common term among offensive line discussions and the 49ers need to look to build that among their own squad. The shakeups of last season, including the recent departure of Boone, force the 49ers to adjust their plans but should serve as a reminder that this team was at its best with a dominant group upfront.

Tiller was drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. Thomas Hukel of Canal Street Chronicles wrote a piece shortly after the draft discussing Tiller’s background. Hukel and Saints fans noticed what many 49ers fans are noticing now: Tiller is powerful and big. Prior to starting, many players were suggesting he ought to.

Gotta give Sakamoto credit, he was on the Tiller train before most. Once Tiller started, he made sure that the position would be his and his only.

If any change is made in regards to Tiller, it should be announcing him as the unquestioned starter heading into training camp. The loss of Boone stings, but Tiller’s play isn’t far behind from where Boone was when he left.

Right Tackle

For a team with a lot of holes on the roster, right tackle might be the only position with a clear training camp battle brewing. There are three players that have an opportunity to be the starter at the beginning of the 2016 season. Those that don’t start will be battling for the swing tackle position. Whoever loses will go from potential first-stringer to third-string.

The starter from last year, Erik Pears, is probably sitting first on the invisible depth chart as of now. That is not an endorsement of his ability but rather a reality that the other two players behind him are unsettled.

There’s no need to evaluate Pears. He simply wasn’t good in 2015. Playing next to Devey didn’t help Pears’ chances of being efficient but it was clear early and often that he would be a weak link on the 49ers in 2015. He’s back with the team at a relatively cheap price and, if he is beaten in training camp, it is possible that the team releases him and opts to give younger guys a chance to develop throughout the season.

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Behind him are second-year man Trent Brown and Anthony Davis.

Trent Brown played well at the end of the season. He wasn’t as impressive and assertive as Tiller but he did flash in limited action. He came to the 49ers with weight concerns and managed to take control of his health, increasing his possibilities within the organization.

Plays like that are going to be staples in head coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Brown–despite being 6’8″ and 355 pounds–shows impressive movement both in securing the double-team and riding it into the linebacker. Although his first step loses ground, he shows good pad-height and power to pass the defender inside and flow to the scraping linebacker.

The play is a good example of Brown’s abilities now. He has some flaws that will need coaching but generally displays enough skill to build upon moving forward. He has a very good chance at being the starting right tackle of 2016.

And now we are to the most unsettled aspect among the entire 49ers offensive line. What about the return of Davis?

Last year, among the slew of 49ers retirements, was an announcement from Davis that he would be retiring also. Shortly after his announcement, Davis made it clear that is was more of a hiatus and less of an outright retirement.

Davis can justify it however he’d like–he stepped away to address his health, which is commendable–but the reality is that he stepped away during a transitional year and left the team in a bad spot. Nobody is here to judge him, but in the business of the NFL that doesn’t sit well. Davis will have to show up to the team in shape to earn his position back. If anything, he may have the most work to do of all.

When healthy and prepared, Davis could probably earn this job with ease. He was drafted with the 11th overall selection in the 2010 NFL draft and has been one of the best right tackles in the league. When the team went to the Super Bowl, Davis was a key contributor along arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.

Davis has the experience and ability that the 49ers need. But his status is unclear and won’t be settled until the team sees him in camp. Therefore, regardless of how nice it would be to count on him, we simply can’t.

Davis has made his intentions clear but there hasn’t been any announcement besides plans to file for reinstatement. Davis’ health and ability when he returns is the wild card to the entire 49ers offensive line.

The changes the 49ers have made this offseason aren’t particularly grand. If anything, they’re the simple development of players that were already on the team. The offensive line can be the positional group with the most improved play in 2016. To be honest, this team needs it. If the line plays anywhere close to last year, it is hard to imagine any quarterback being successful.

Expect the 49ers to carry 10 lineman throughout the season with the depth chart looking something like the following:

Left Tackle- Joe Staley, Erik Pears

Left Guard-Zane Beadles, Brandon Thomas

Center-Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin

Right Guard-Andrew Tiller, Rookie

Right Tackle-Anthony Davis, Trent Brown

Trent Brown should win the swing-tackle job and the rookie might be the first guard up in the event someone is injured.

Ideally, the 49ers will see continuity in the health and play of the offensive line in 2016. If so, the team could see an immediate improvement in the wins column.

Next: Ranking the 49ers Top-5 Needs in 2016 NFL Draft

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN Statistics unless otherwise indicated. Salary cap figures courtesy of OverTheCap.com unless otherwise indicated.