Reinforcing and upgrading the offensive line might not be the No. 1 offseason priority for the San Francisco 49ers, but it certainly needs to be on the list of needs for general manager John Lynch and Co.
After all, future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams will be age 38 when the 2026 season starts, and he'll need to be replaced sooner than later.
Yet another pending replacement has to soon be in the works, too, for veteran center Jake Brendel.
There's a large contingent of Niners fans who certainly would agree. But the reason for replacing Brendel doesn't exactly line up with what the bulk of his critics would think.
In fact, according to several metrics, Brendel is one of the NFL's better centers going.
That said, San Francisco has to look at replacing him soon, too.
49ers must look at finding a replacement for an aging Jake Brendel
Brendel gets a lot of heat from 49ers fans whenever the O-line struggles, true. It's not exactly warranted, though, as the following share from Bovada's Akash Anavarathan reveals:
Per Sports Info Solutions' DataHub, they have a blown-block rate metric that tracks the amount of missed blocks in the pass/run game. #49ers' C Jake Brendel ranked as the 6th-best center in the NFL, with a blown block rate of 1.8% this season.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) January 27, 2026
Tied with....Tyler Linderbaum.
It's interesting with the connection to the Baltimore Ravens' Tyler Linderbaum, who has been discussed before as a possible high-profile Brendel replacement via free agency this offseason.
Certainly, the three-time Pro Bowler would be an upgrade over Brendel but also in a key area that can't be ignored.
Age.
Brendel will turn 34 years old this September and will enter the final season of the four-year, $16.5 million contract signed entering 2023. With an annual average of $4.125 million, the longtime journeyman who finally found a home in the Bay Area has been an absolute bargain for the Niners ever since becoming a full-time starter in 2022.
Unless San Francisco decides to splurge on Linderbaum, the likely play-out scenario is Brendel finishing his contract in 2026, yet the 49ers start the process of identifying an ideal replacement to take over duties in 2027.
Either way, it's shaping up for 2026 to be Brendel's final year with the Niners in one way or another.