The San Francisco 49ers effectively have only one job opening for the first-team offensive line, at left tackle, yet there are plenty of question marks facing this unit's depth.
Particularly at swing tackle, supporting both All-Pro Trent Williams on the left and Colton McKivitz on the right.
To solve this, the Niners used one of their late picks in April's NFL Draft on Kansas offensive lineman Enrique Cruz Jr., whose speed and athletic prowess were certainly promising, at least from a developmental perspective.
But the Niners need a contingency plan in case Cruz turns out to be a total bust in training camp and the preseason.
Veteran tackle Brandon Parker appears to be just that.
Brandon Parker is 49ers' backup plan in case Enrique Cruz Jr. fails
Parker first started his association with San Francisco back in the spring of 2024, yet he failed to crack the 53-man roster that season, subsequently signing with the Atlanta Falcons before returning to the 49ers on their practice squad in October of 2025.
In fact, Parker's last regular-season appearance came back in 2023 when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent the bulk of his career after being selected in Round 3 of the 2018 draft out of North Carolina A&T. As far as experience goes, Parker has it, appearing in 59 games, 33 of which were starts.
Yet the production wasn't overly impressive. According to Pro Football Focus, Parker allowed 22 sacks over that five-year span, never getting higher than a 57.4 overall grade.
So, that makes sense why the Niners only inked him to a one-year deal worth a veteran's minimum of $1.075 million, none of which is guaranteed. If Cruz does enough to impress in camp, Parker is easily dismissed ahead of Week 1 with zero long-term ramifications to the cap situation.
That's likely what San Francisco wants. Cruz is the flashy new investment, whereas Parker is the unheralded fallback.
For the latter, the only way to hang around is hoping the rookie flops.
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