5 key takeaways from 49ers cuts and initial 2021 roster
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers have potentially shaky offensive line depth
It can’t all be glowing reviews or curious and intriguing cases with regards to the Niners’ regular-season roster.
On the plus side, San Francisco’s starting offensive line should be vastly improved over last year, particularly with the free-agent add of veteran center Alex Mack, who’ll solidify a spot within this unit that was a revolving door last year, subsequently allowing the versatile Daniel Brunskill to stay at right guard.
Beyond the starters, however, it’s very much an open-ended question.
Training camp revealed initial problems about the depth behind the first-team unit, and fans got to see firsthand how permeable the second- and third-string options were when the preseason rolled around.
Brunskill remains Mack’s primary backup on the 53-man roster, rookie Jaylon Moore is the primary swing tackle in the wake of Shon Coleman landing on injured reserve, the veteran Tom Compton is still hanging around and, perhaps most disappointingly, the development of second-round guard Aaron Banks proceeded much slower than anticipated, paralleled with a preseason shoulder injury that could hinder his maturation even more into the regular season.
With few on-roster options available, the 49ers better hope the starters stay healthy all season long.