Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Early look at 10 players on the 2018 roster bubble

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 13: Guard Zane Beadles #68 of the San Francisco 49ers lines up during the second half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 13: Guard Zane Beadles #68 of the San Francisco 49ers lines up during the second half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /

No. 8: Offensive Lineman Zane Beadles

Veteran offensive lineman Zane Beadles wasn’t supposed to start in 2017. Instead, he was going to be an uber-O-lineman, capable of playing all five spots up front.

That’s what kept him on the roster. But even after second-year guard Joshua Garnett went down with a knee injury during training camp, Beadles didn’t provide enough evidence he was worth pegging into a starting role. Instead, the 49ers traded for former Detroit Lions guard Laken Tomlinson.

Beadles still wound up seeing 395 snaps and five starts this season. And the analytics weren’t pretty.

According to Pro Football Focus, Beadles posted a 32.9 overall grade on the season, which would have ranked dead last out of 82 qualifying guards if he had been placed in that category (Beadles was listed at center).

The offensive line, especially between the tackles, is of high priority for general manager John Lynch this offseason.

That includes depth. And with Beadles costing a mere $583,334 in dead money if cut next season, it would almost be shocking if he returns.