Difficult decisions 49ers must make due to salary cap issues

49ers tough decision No. 4: Upgrade the interior O-line

While San Francisco has a big question regarding Mike McGlinchey, taking a hard look at the rest of the offensive line should be nearly as pressing.

Outside of Trent Williams, of course.

Center Jake Brendel, a journeyman backup who had a mere three regular-season starts prior to 2022, is a free agent. He’ll be a cheap re-sign candidate for the 49ers, should they go that route, but Brendel isn’t exactly the kind of player worth committing big money to over a long period of time.

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Meanwhile, the Niners’ guard play had up-and-down moments, although left guard Aaron Banks does appear to be a solid building block for the next two years. At right guard, however, the rotation of Spencer Burford and Daniel Brunskill could come to an end with the latter poised to be an unrestricted free agent.

Retaining Brunskill sounds smart, but he might seek a more consistent situation elsewhere and at a higher dollar amount.

At any rate, San Francisco surely had to take note of why effective O-lines are required to win a Super Bowl, so any opportunity to make upgrades here can’t be wasted.