San Francisco 49ers: 5 must-do tasks for the 2018 offseason
No. 4: Sign Andrew Norwell from the Panthers
The 49ers still have offensive line issues, including a very large hole at left guard. Carolina Panthers left guard Andrew Norwell could remedy the issue and give San Francisco the ability to be flexible in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
#Panthers OG Andrew Norwell now enters free agency off the back of a career year in which he was one of the best in the game.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) February 12, 2018
He didn’t allow a sack or a hit all season, while surrendering just 15 total pressures across 1,140 snaps and 17 games including the playoffs. @PFF
Norwell’s pass-protection skills would be invaluable in protecting the team’s new $137.5 million man. Something tells me the Panthers will try and keep Norwell. But if they don’t, here are some more tidbits on the best guard hitting free agency.
Norwell stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 325 pounds, according to NFL.com. He may seem a bit heavy for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme, but his height may offset his weight just a bit. Norwell seems plenty capable of moving around from the guard position. He’ll be able to pull and trap just fine.
Norwell is also durable. He has played in 16 games with 16 starts in each of the last two seasons, while starting every game he’s been healthy for in the last three years. In total, Norwell has started 54 of 55 games during his five NFL seasons.