The top priorities the San Francisco 49ers will look to address this offseason are fixing the perennial pass-rush issues once and for all and rebuilding their stable of wide receivers.
Beyond those two admittedly huge needs, there's another headache the team has been dealing with that needs to be rectified.
Left guard Spencer Burford entered the 2025 season on thin ice, and did nothing to improve his standing during the year. The 2022 fourth-round pick allowed the highest pressure rate among starting left guards in the league last season, and now, as an impending free agent, it's highly doubtful San Francisco looks to bring him back.
Joining him in free agency is Ben Bartch, who was serviceable as a backup when Burford missed time with injury, but not much more. 2025 seventh-round pick Connor Colby will be around next season, but he looked completely overwhelmed at times when asked to step in.
In short, the Niners need a new starting left guard, and as luck would have it, they've been tapped as the perfect landing spot for Pittsburgh Steelers stalwart Isaac Seumalo.
49ers would be wise to pursue Isaac Seumalo in free agency to shore up interior O-line woes
Seumalo has consistently been one of the game's better guards, even if he is at times overlooked while playing a relatively anonymous position. He's played in two drastically different schemes, beginning his career with the Philadelphia Eagles before moving on to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season.
In that time, he's shown that he can win with athleticism in zone blocking concepts as well as power in gap schemes. Last year, his 97.3% pass block win rate ranked second among guards, while his 76.9% run block win rate was good for fourth in the league. His 78.5 PFF pass blocking grade was fourth among guards, and as an added bonus, he didn't commit a single penalty all season.
That's good news for Brock Purdy, who often faced pressure up the gut straight into his face last season, and adding the 32-year-old to San Francisco's offensive line could also pay dividends for Christian McCaffrey.
The star running back put up the counting stats you want to see in the run game, but the efficiency wasn't always there. McCaffrey's 3.9 yards per carry was his lowest mark since 2020, a season in which he only played three games.
The three-time All-Pro's best rushing performances came when he was running off tackle, with a 5.7 yards per carry average rushing outside of Trent Williams and a 5.0 mark when running off of Colton McKivitz. On his attempts between the tackles is when he began getting stuffed often.
Seumalo is the kind of signing where the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. Having a competent presence at left guard would help Trent Williams, who will have to worry less about helping to his right as he continues to age. His pass-blocking savvy will help the receivers buy a bit more time to get open, and his versatility in run schemes will allow Kyle Shanahan to fully open his bag of tricks.
Guards have started getting paid serious money in recent years, but with Seumalo heading into his age-33 season, he might come at a slightly cheaper rate than a comparable player in his prime. While not as attention-grabbing as a high-profile wide receiver or edge rusher, this is exactly the kind of splash San Francisco should look to make.