49ers Free Agency Needs: Breaking Down the Offensive Line

Niner Noise heads to the offensive side of the ball for the San Francisco 49ers and previews what NFL free agency moves the team might do to address needed upgrades on the offensive line in 2017.

Was the San Francisco 49ers offensive line notably better in 2016 than the year before? Yes. Could this unit stand some much-needed improvement? Yes.

In our latest position-by-position free-agency preview, Niner Noise switches over to the offense and breaks down what free-agent moves the 49ers could make to shore up the O-line in 2017.

We left off with the defensive line, and you can view that here.

San Francisco 49ers

While it’s true the 2016 O-line was significantly better than the year before, this group was far from perfect. In fact, Football Outsiders ranked San Francisco’s offensive-front five No. 30 in pass protection and dead last in run support a year ago.

Left tackle Joe Staley remains this unit’s best player. But he’ll be 33 years old this August, and the Niners would ideally like to have someone groomed to take over sooner rather than later.

Left guard Zane Beadles, former general manager Trent Baalke’s biggest free-agent acquisition a year ago, was largely a disappointment. Pro Football Focus awarded Beadles a 40.2 overall grade on the year — lowest among San Francisco’s starting five.

Here’s a breakdown of O-line players on the roster heading into 2017:

• Joe Staley — 2017 Cap Hit: $11.056 million, signed through 2019
• Zane Beadles — 2017 Cap Hit: $3.533 million, signed through 2018
• Joshua Garnett — 2017 Cap Hit: $2.115 million, signed through 2020
• Marcus Martin — 2017 Cap Hit: $1.965 million, signed through 2017
• Daniel Kilgore — 2017 Cap Hit: $1.55 million, signed through 2017
• Trent Brown — 2017 Cap Hit: $628,973, signed through 2018
• John Theus — 2017 Cap Hit: $604,403, signed through 2019
• Norman Price — 2017 Cap Hit $465,000, signed through 2018

2017 free agents: Andrew Garner (UFA), Andrew Tiller (UFA)

Projecting 49ers Roster Moves

Staley will hold down the left tackle spot in 2017, barring injury of course. And we should also assume center Daniel Kilgore will do the same in the middle of the line.

The trouble is Kilgore has had a tough time staying healthy — 23 games missed over the last three seasons. And his primary backup, Marcus Martin, has been nothing short of a disappointment at the NFL level. It would be a shock to see Martin back on the roster in 2017.

Despite a frustrating rookie season, former first-round draftee Joshua Garnett should be a shoo-in for the right guard spot. Yes, he posted a lowly 42.4 PFF grade in 2016, but the Niners are still hoping he can develop into one of the better run-blocking guards at the pro level. Don’t expect San Francisco to give up on this investment just yet.

One might wonder about Andrew Tiller — the seldom-used guard who turned heads over the last two seasons. Well, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, the 49ers are going to let Tiller hit the free-agent market:

Right tackle Trent Brown is a little more perplexing. On one hand, he’s one of the best pass blockers the 49ers have. But his run-blocking technique, especially in zone schemes, isn’t quite a good match.

A guess would be the Niners make an upgrade here only if an option presents itself. But that doesn’t mean general manager John Lynch avoids the O-line altogether in free agency.

Projecting Free-Agent Moves

Aside from Staley and, to a much-lesser extent, Garnett, the 49ers would be looking for upgrades across the line. In Staley’s case, the Niners should be eyeing a long-term replacement at some point soon.

This year’s NFL Draft class is pretty weak along the O-line, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see some movement in the later rounds there.

Instead, Lynch should first try to make a move to upgrade Beadles’ position.

Kevin Zeitler, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, should be considered a top target on the market. PFF gave him an 87.1 overall grade last season, which ranked second among all qualifying guards. Right behind him in the rankings, and three years older, is 29-year-old former Green Bay Packers guard T.J. Lang. Lang received an 87.0 overall grade from PFF.

Considering Zeitler is a few years younger, it’s likely he receives the heftier contract. A guess would put this between $10 million and $13 million per season. Lang, while older, could still command a similar deal. It just won’t be anywhere near as lengthy.

Lynch would be wise to try and lure one of these two in to play alongside Staley and replace Beadles.

Beadles showed versatility last year — lining up at guard, tackle and even center — so he’d be worth keeping around as a interchangeable backup.

Projected 2017 Depth Chart

While San Francisco could likely stand some upgrades at center and right tackle, don’t expect Kilgore and/or Brown to be replaced just yet. A hunch says the Niners are willing to let Brown continue his development in 2017.

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Staley will stay put, obviously, and the 49ers are going to squeeze as much as they can out of their first-round investment from a year ago, Garnett.

But the one move that would be nice to see would be an upgrade over Beadles. And we can hope it’s either Lang or Zeitler, with a preference for the latter.

Next: 5 Players the 49ers Should Avoid in Free Agency

This would push Beadles into a backup/swing role, which is fine. Yet San Francisco could also stand some additional reinforcements, either via the draft or free agency. But these would be supplementary and likely pushing second-year pro John Theus out of the picture.