49ers roster: How Keaton Sutherland became vital overnight

Earlier this offseason, 49ers reserve lineman Keaton Sutherland was a long shot to make the 53-man roster. Now, he might be a crucial starter.

You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know who San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland was with the team nearing training camp in a few days.

The former Texas A&M prospect who joined the league as an undrafted free-agent signee of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 has bounced around as a fringe player ever since, ultimately signing with the Niners on a one-year deal earlier this spring.

San Francisco’s intent might have been to make Sutherland a camp invite, someone to round out the offseason depth chart and fill out the second- or third-string offensive line during practices and the preseason.

However, in light of one noteworthy change, Sutherland’s importance suddenly skyrockets.

Pro Bowl center Alex Mack’s retirement just before mandatory minicamp shook up what’s already a shaky offensive line heading into 2022. And while the 49ers had to know Mack’s retirement was possible, they did relatively little to find a worthy veteran starter to fill the void.

OK, so this doesn’t automatically propel Sutherland from a long shot to make the 53-man roster into a would-be starter. But it does make him much more valuable.

Why Keaton Sutherland just became more important to 49ers

Sutherland is one of only three natural centers on the Niners roster right now, the other two being fellow journeyman Jake Brendel and 2022 undrafted free-agent Dohnovan West.

San Francisco does have other options, but that appears to be it as far as actual centers go.

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 7/22/2022.

Right now, the plan seems to be for Brendel to secure the starting spot in the wake of Mack’s retirement, and perhaps the 49ers are comfortable with that. But, this could also mean Sutherland winds up being tabbed as Brendel’s primary backup come Week 1, just like Brendel was to Mack a year ago.

And if Brendel winds up suffering some sort of injury this season, Sutherland would be the only person out of that trio with pro-level experience.

Why 49ers may not rely on Keaton Sutherland anyway

As mentioned, the Niners do have other options aside from Brendel and Sutherland.

While head coach Kyle Shanahan has long preferred veterans at center, it’s possible West winds up rapidly climbing the depth chart after what would be an impressive camp. Likewise, as it did in 2020 amid a slew of injuries, San Francisco could move presumed starting right guard Daniel Brunskill over to center.

That would play into Shanahan’s experience preference even if it meant opening up another void at right guard.

And if the 49ers do end up grabbing another center for whatever reason, forget about Sutherland making an impact.

Chances Keaton Sutherland makes 49ers’ 53-man roster

Per Over the Cap, the Niners’ one-year deal with Sutherland is for a max value of $895,000. None of that includes any guaranteed money, though, so Sutherland could be waived without any financial ramifications. And if he was to stick around somehow, he’d be an exclusive-rights free agent in 2023, meaning the team still had full contractual control.

Like Brendel, Sutherland’s future this season will be tied to how well he performs in training camp. Considering he was on some bad Bengals O-lines in recent years but still only managed to be a fringe player there, perhaps there’s not a lot of hope for massive development from the 25 year old.

At the same time, even modest improvement could wind up propelling him into a key role, potentially as high as a starter.

That probably isn’t ideal from San Francisco’s vantage point, though, yet there aren’t exactly a ton of other likable options either.