5 moves the 49ers need to make this 2018 offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Sign Right Tackle Trent Brown to a Contract Extension
The Niners brought back Daniel Kilgore, helping alleviate interior offensive line needs. One of the next moves should be to ensure right tackle Trent Brown doesn’t hit free agency any time soon.
Brown might not be the perfect fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme. And Brown is a far better in pass protection than in run support. The fact he missed six games this season also casts a shadow on how the 49ers feel about his long-term durability.
His 79.3 overall grade ranked 21st among qualifying tackles, per Pro Football Focus, which isn’t overly great but not terrible either. Yet his 97 overall pass-blocking efficiency rating ranked fifth among qualifiers, per PFF.
You see where Brown’s strength lies.
Starting-caliber tackles are difficult to find on the open market. And when they do hit free agency, the upper-echelon ones command a hefty salary.
Better to be proactive about this than wait it out.
Brown wraps up his rookie contract in 2018. Signing him to a three-year extension at this point would be a smart move, ensuring he won’t be tempted to test the open market after a possible breakout year.