San Francisco 49ers: Don’t sleep on these key reinforcements coming back in 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Offensive Guard Joshua Garnett (Knee)
The offensive line remains the No. 1 priority the 49ers need to address this offseason, especially along the interior.
Fixing this might not be as difficult, though, if second-year guard Joshua Garnett (knee) is capable of making a healthy return and developing into something worthwhile.
The former first-round pick from 2016 struggled his rookie year and was certainly a bit of a disappointment. But one must remember he was the previous year’s Outland Trophy recipient — given to the best interior offensive lineman in collegiate football. He still has promise, even if his first season wasn’t too hot.
Still, there’s enough indication the 49ers front office views Garnett as a long-term solution.
General manager John Lynch had the following to say about Garnett, via David Fucillo of Niners Nation:
"[we] certainly hope that he responds well, he’s working his tail off, he’s done a great job of really changing his body composition. We took a really holistic look, and I challenged everybody on our medical from our strength and conditioning to our functional performance guys to our nutrition. It’s really changed this. And we challenged Josh. We said ‘Hey, we want to do this and here’s why and we also want you to use this opportunity to really improve yourself in every aspect. We’re going to try to use it a a model for anybody in a situation like him. It’s working really well right now."
With center Daniel Kilgore and right guard Brandon Fusco set to hit free agency this offseason, and left guard Laken Tomlinson struggling, getting a productive Garnett back in 2018 would be key to upgrading the O-line next year.