49ers free agency: Kyle Shanahan needs this offensive player in 2023

The 49ers are poised to lose right tackle Mike McGlinchey to NFL free agency this offseason, but there’s a workable solution to replace him.

There are plenty of San Francisco 49ers fans who’ll probably be happy that right tackle Mike McGlinchey is likely to depart via NFL free agency this offseason.

The 2018 first-round draft pick out of Notre Dame has had his up-and-down moments with the Niners, which even included an honest critique from San Francisco legend Joe Staley.

But, for all the issues (particularly in pass protection) that McGlinchey had, he’s still an above-average lineman, and the 49ers aren’t guaranteed to find an improvement over him all too easily.

With a limited amount of cap space, the Niners have only a faint chance to re-sign McGlinchey.

However, even if there was a means to do so, it might be more conducive to try and find that upgrade.

And there’s a perfect player who probably would be an upgrade, one who’d be a seamless fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

49ers should make Jawaan Taylor a high priority in NFL free agency

According to Over the Cap, San Francisco has just over $6.4 million in salary cap space to attack NFL free agency when the league new year begins on March 15.

That’s not a lot.

However, with some modest roster jockeying, extensions and restructures, the 49ers could free up millions more and use that toward a player like the 25-year-old Taylor.

Having played in both zone- and power-blocking schemes, Taylor might actually be a cheaper option than McGlinchey with a notably better upside, particularly in pass protection. Whereas Pro Football Focus gave McGlinchey a 65.5 pass-blocking grade in 2022, Taylor received a 76.4.

Taylor also has an excellent record of health, too, starting every game for the Jags since being drafted back in 2019 out of Florida.

Related Story: 5 free agents Niners must avoid at all costs

And, as 49ers Webzone’s Rohan Chakravarthi pointed out in the tweet above, Taylor would probably be cheaper than one of the Niners’ other potential free-agent replacements for McGlinchey, Kaleb McGary of the Atlanta Falcons.

OTC valued Taylor’s 2022 play at just under $13 million, and that’s a number San Francisco could likely work with, especially if it engineered some of those cap space-generating moves.

If so, the 49ers could land a quality right tackle who might actually perform at higher levels than McGlinchey for the offense under Shanahan.