4 on-roster options 49ers have if Alex Mack actually retires

The 49ers have been without veteran Alex Mack during the opening days of OTAs, prompting speculation about contingency plans at center.

While San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel‘s absence from organized team activities has garnered a good deal of attention, it might not actually be the most pressing matter head coach Kyle Shanahan has on his slate.

Veteran center Alex Mack, the seven-time Pro Bowler and second-year Niner, also hasn’t shown up to OTAs.

This, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:

The news won’t help quell rumors about Mack potentially retiring, which has also been a notable offseason discussion already. Yet it’s likely San Francisco knows a lot more about Mack’s status and future than the general public.

It also means the 49ers probably have at least a few contingency plans in place.

Many of those are already on the roster, too, given the majority of offseason moves have already transpired via free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft.

So, if Mack is indeed looking to call it a career, let’s break down four on-roster options the Niners may have to replace him this season.

49ers replacement option for Alex Mack No. 4: Jason Poe

Far less a possibility than the others, it’s certainly feasible San Francisco looks to one of its 14 undrafted free agents, former Mercer interior lineman Jason Poe, as someone who could step in and fill the void left by a would-be Mack departure.

Poe, who went undrafted but could have easily been a day-three draft selection, had a pre-draft meeting with the 49ers already, and they must have liked his impressive movement skills.

He was a converted running back who bulked up to play the offensive line.

Granted, Poe has far more experience at guard than he does at center, and the two positions aren’t automatically interchangeable. However, the 6-foot-2 and 295-pound lineman does possess a lot of the positive traits that suggest he could emerge as a decent starter at the pro level.

It might just take a little bit of refinement. Perhaps some luck, too.

The Niners may either have to get desperate to insert Poe into the starting lineup right away, or he’d at least have to wow so much as to be unavoidable, which leads to the next possibility at center.

49ers replacement option for Alex Mack No. 3: Dohnovan West

Had San Francisco used a fourth- or even a third-round draft pick on former Arizona State center Dohnovan West, few would have complained.

After all, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman was projected as an early day-three pick in the draft, yet he somehow ended up slipping all the way into the ranks of the undrafted.

The 49ers inked West to a three-year deal worth $2.56 million, although there’s zero in guaranteed money, according to Over the Cap.

Still, as far as UDFA players with the best chance of making the Niners’ 53-man roster this season, West is surely right up there with Jason Poe, perhaps even a bit higher.

Unlike Poe, West is much more of a natural center, so there wouldn’t be too big of an adjustment here, at least in terms of positions. The only major differences, of course, would be all those necessary acclimations to the pro-level game and competition.

If anything, though, Alex Mack being absent from OTAs opens up far more chances for a player like West to climb the depth chart, such as getting second-team reps a bit more as opposed to only seeing time with the third-string unit.

49ers replacement option for Alex Mack No. 2: Daniel Brunskill

Kyle Shanahan hasn’t typically relied much on rookies and young players to fill the void at center during his coaching career, so that arguably rules out the notion of either Jason Poe or Dohnovan West being a strong candidate to start in 2022.

More likely, San Francisco turns to a veteran.

In 2020, back when now-retired center Weston Richburg was still on the roster but was dealing with a serious injury that ultimately ended his career, the 49ers turned to now-starting right guard Daniel Brunskill to fill the void in what was nevertheless a regularly rotating door at center.

Brunskill wasn’t quite as effective in this stead as he is at guard, but this might be a more favorable option than going with a rookie.

It does create something of a domino effect, though, as the Niners would have yet another hole to fill in Brunskill’s previous spot, perhaps opening the door for one of their other linemen selected in the draft, Spencer Burford or Nick Zakelj, to have a better shot to start at right guard.

2020 was a bit of an outlier, though, as the team-wide scourge of injuries created all kinds of ripple effects, including Brunskill’s move from guard to center.

If San Francisco wants to avoid that in 2022, it might want to consider the following option instead.

49ers replacement option for Alex Mack No. 1: Jake Brendel

Fans didn’t get to see journeyman center Jake Brendel when he initially signed with the 49ers in 2020 because of his subsequent decision to opt out amid the pandemic.

He did make a modest impression on the fans during the preseason last year, though, and his efforts during practices and on special teams were enough to convince the Niners to ink him to a new one-year deal worth a shade over $1 million for 2022.

Brendel, who broke into the league with the Dallas Cowboys back in 2016, doesn’t exactly have a ton of starting experience, at least during the regular season where all three of his starts came with the Miami Dolphins in 2018.

Still, going with Brendel as a would-be Alex Mack replacement would allow the Niners to not shift players around the O-line, such as moving Daniel Brunskill over from right guard, and it would check off Kyle Shanahan’s box of not having to rely too much on a rookie or second-year player at this spot, too.

If Mack does retire, it seems likely Brendel would be the first choice to replace him.