Daniel Brunskill’s presence eases impact of Aaron Bank’s injury on 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have some security along the offensive interior which means the loss of Aaron Banks to injury should be limited.

The San Francisco 49ers are attempting what every postseason team jostling for positioning is trying to do these days: Stay healthy and win.

On Sunday, the 49ers added an impressive win as they held off the Las Vegas Raiders to stay in the case for the all-important top seed in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles (who hold the edge at this point). However, they did suffer some key injuries in the process, and the biggest one of all is the expected loss of starting guard Aaron Banks to a feared MCL tear.

If Banks’ injury turns out to be as severe as expected, it spells the end of his 2022 season, no matter how long the 49ers are able to play into the postseason. They say the game of football is won and lost in the trenches, which spells bad things for the Niners on paper, but the good news for Kyle Shanahan’s team is that they have some solid security right where it’s needed at present.

Veteran Daniel Brunskill has been such a key member of the line for the last few years after initially coming over as a roster flyer signed out of the Alliance for American Football (the San Diego franchise). Brunskill did have some experience with the Atlanta Falcons for his first full year in the league but that was as an undrafted free agent who never saw any official snaps.

The 49ers, however, were able to find tremendous value in Brunskill and he went on to start 7 games at right tackle in his first season with the team in ’19. Over the last two years, he’s gone on to start 33 games at both center and right guard, showing just how versatile he can be. On Sunday, he slipped right into the lineup when Banks first went down, and he should be able to hold down the position going forward.

Banks is the full-time starter for a reason and as a former second-round pick in his second season, the future should be brighter there even as time goes on. His loss will hurt the Niners in some ways as Brunskill’s skills are better suited to role player status. That said, some teams would have a hard time filling such a roster hole at an important time of year, but the Niners had an instant name to call when Banks went down. Brunskill’s presence and experience are going to lessen the impact of what could have been a major loss up front.