Ranking 49ers' 5 best moves from 2023 NFL offseason
By Peter Panacy
49ers best offseason move No. 4: Not spending big bucks on Mike McGlinchey
Let's be clear about one thing: The Niners offensive line is worse now without right tackle Mike McGlinchey than it was with him on it.
Perhaps the presumed fill-in for McGlnichey, Colton McKivitz, excels at his new starting role, but that's a stretch. And for all the headaches McGlinchey presumably caused, it'll be tough for San Francisco to plug the gap.
That said, the Denver Broncos vastly overpaid McGlinchey in NFL free agency, and Bleacher Report's breakdown of the seven worst offseason moves across the league included this particular deal:
"The Broncos handed the former 49ers tackle a five-year, $87.5 million contract, which was the longest of any given to a tackle this offseason. The 28-year-old was ranked 35th out of the 81 tackles that PFF graded last season.
It makes sense that the Broncos were in the market for a tackle. They have to give Russell Wilson every opportunity to make their move to acquire him last season worth it.
But McGlinchey wasn't even an elite pass protector, giving up six sacks and drawing 10 penalties, per PFF."
Even if McKivitz is a downgrade, him playing even at a modest level in contrast to McGlinchey at a tiny fraction of what the latter earned on the free-agent market would be a criminally wonderful move from the 49ers' vantage point.