49ers roster: 3 potentially surprising cuts heading into 2021

No. 2: 49ers Left Guard Laken Tomlinson

Unlike Jaquiski Tartt, veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson has been one of the Niners’ most reliable players ever since he was acquired back in 2017, missing just that one game that year.

Also 29 years old, Tomlinson has been effective over the four-year span in San Francisco, if not overly flashy. But there are reasons to suspect the 49ers could consider moving on in an attempt to get both younger and cheaper along the offensive line.

For starters, 2021 is effectively a contract year for Tomlinson with his three additional years all voided, per Over the Cap. He’s scheduled to earn $6.59 million this year but there’s zero in guaranteed money, and things tend to get weird for players when their guarantees run out.

True, his $1.59 million prorated signing bonus would have to be eaten. But if the Niners were to make him a pre-Week 1 cut, they’d save $5 million in much-needed cap space that could eventually go towards extending a player like All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

The caveat, though, would be finding a replacement. But San Francisco arguably has one in rookie offensive guard Aaron Banks.

Banks is currently battling with the versatile Daniel Brunskill for the right guard position. Yet if both players wind up showcasing high-level talent in camp, it might be in the 49ers’ best interest to let both start, thereby parting ways with Tomlinson as a result.