4 position groups the 49ers will have to address in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Offensive Line
It’s a little less pressing than some of the other units on San Francisco’s roster. But 2019 has shown just how important it is for teams to have adequate depth along their offensive line.
In 2018, the 49ers were lucky. Their starting crop missed just one start over the course of the season, but that hasn’t been the case in 2019. Offensive tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey have each missed significant time. Center Weston Richburg will miss the remainder of the year with a knee injury.
Backup linemen Justin Skule, Daniel Brunskill and Ben Garland have performed about as well as anyone could have asked in fill-in roles. Yet that doesn’t negate the need to find some additional support and reinforcement.
Especially considering Staley is getting into the twilight of his career.
The good news for the Niners is all five of their starting offensive linemen are under contract for 2020, so it’s not necessarily a pressing issue right away. But to avoid injury attrition from affecting this particular unit again in a big way next year, San Francisco will want to use some of its resources to ensure the depth is accounted for between now and the start of next season.