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San Francisco 49ers: 5 moves to fix the offensive line in 2018

By Peter Panacy

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 19: Center Dillon Farrell #56 of the San Francisco 49ers replaced the injured Daniel Kilgore #67 (not pictured) against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 19, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 19: Center Dillon Farrell #56 of the San Francisco 49ers replaced the injured Daniel Kilgore #67 (not pictured) against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 19, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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FOXBORO, MA – JANUARY 18: Josh Kline #67 of the New England Patriots reacts against the Indianapolis Colts of the 2015 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – JANUARY 18: Josh Kline #67 of the New England Patriots reacts against the Indianapolis Colts of the 2015 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Sign Titans Offensive Guard Josh Kline

Zane Beadles wound up being San Francisco’s worst-graded starter along the offensive line last year, per Pro Football Focus, boasting a woeful 40.2 overall grade on the season.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Then-rookie guard Joshua Garnett wasn’t much better (42.4), but the 49ers will likely be a bit more patient with their first-round investment from the 2016 NFL Draft. Still, it’s likely the Niners will look for some serious upgrades at the interior positions in 2018.

One name among the list of targets should be current Tennessee Titans right guard Josh Kline.

Kline hits the final season of a two-year, $3.5 million contract. And PFF handed him an 80.0 overall grade — good for 26th among qualifiers in 2016 — which was well balanced in both pass protection and run support.

The good news is guards make notably less money on the free-agent market than tackles. He’d probably be around the range of $2 million per year, which is very doable for a Niners team loaded with cap space.

At 27 years old, the undrafted Kline is just hitting the prime of his career. He’d immediately be a plug-and-play guard and upgrade over Beadles and, very likely, Garnett as well.