49ers must start Jaylon Moore in light of Mike McGlinchey’s injury

The 49ers received some tough news on the injury front, as Mike McGlinchey is done for the year, which means Jaylon Moore should get the start at right tackle from this point onward.

San Francisco 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey is done for the season.

The Niners already have to have a hard look at themselves in the mirror following their disjointed and uninspiring 31-17 Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.

And in light of that ugly defeat, there’s the proverbial “adding injury to insult” switch with the latest news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter about McGlinchey, who exited the game midway and didn’t return:

McGlinchey, San Francisco’s first-round NFL Draft choice from 2018, has shown improvement this season after being a notable scapegoat for the team’s offensive line struggles in 2020. But if there was going to be a second-half surge from him this season, it’ll ultimately have to wait until next year.

In his stead, the 49ers inserted veteran lineman Tom Compton into the game, which did not go well, as the Cardinals rode a five-sack performance en route to frustrating quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

49ers must start Jaylon Moore, not Tom Compton in light of Mike McGlinchey injury

Shanahan told reporters after the game the lone reason why Compton was inserted into McGlinchey’s stead was that it was at right tackle, not at left tackle where Shanahan had previously played the Niners’ fifth-round rookie, Jaylon Moore, after losing starting tackle Trent Williams for a week with an ankle injury.

However, Shanahan did admit Moore could get the start at right tackle if McGlinchey’s injury turned out to be a long-term thing.

Well, it is.

Pro Football Focus credited the 32-year-old Compton, who’ll be a free agent next season, with one sack and four quarterback pressures allowed in relief of McGlinchey, giving him a “meh” 61.1 game grade in the process.

Related Story: 49ers envision Jaylon Moore as a versatile backup

Moore, on the other hand, has played just 78 snaps this season. And while his 59.9 overall PFF grade this year doesn’t suggest a massive improvement, at least San Francisco can figure out what it has in the first-year pro and determine whether or not he can be a long-term fixture for the 49ers’ O-line depth.

Simply put, riding with Compton does little, especially if he’s not overly effective. At least Moore can get some much-needed development time over the rest of 2021. If he wholly flames out, at least the Niners will have figured that out with a much bigger sample size.