Rethinking 49ers 53-man roster after first wave of 2021 cuts

49ers Offensive Lineman (8)

LT Trent Williams

LG Laken Tomlinson

C Alex Mack

RG Daniel Brunskill

RT Mike McGlinchey

OG Aaron Banks

OL Colton McKivitz

OL Jaylon Moore

PS: OL Alfredo Gutierrez, OL Jake Brendel

When fully healthy, San Francisco’s starting offensive line is going to be among the better units in the NFL, although the injury to rookie guard Aaron Banks, who has struggled at times during camp and against the Chiefs on Saturday night, means it still isn’t what was expected to be along all spots.

So it’s looking more and more likely Daniel Brunskill will retain that starting position for now, with hopes that Banks can eventually work his way into the role, something the Niners brass was hoping to avoid from their 2021 second-round pick.

Of greater concern in training camp has been the dropoff between the first and second units for the line, where players like tackle Shon Coleman, rookie Jaylon Moore, and second-year man Colton McKivitz have gotten well-worked by even the 49ers’ second-unit defensive line.

Granted, even the second unit for this team looks to be formidable, but depth is going to be an issue along the line, so the Niners will crossing fingers and doing whatever else it takes to try to ward off the injuries for their starters.

That said, the team won’t want to give up on draft picks from the last two seasons quite yet, so McKivitz and Moore seem likely to stick around. The issue with this group is that one of the two will have to serve as the team’s swing tackle, which isn’t ideal.

There’s a chance that there could be some shuffling with the depth here in the coming weeks, but for now, this seems like the best available unit, with Alfredo Gutierrez and Jake Brendel spending 2021 on the practice squad.