3 simple trades 49ers could make to fix right side of offensive line
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers have plenty of NFL Draft capital and enough salary cap space to shore up the offensive line before the 2023 NFL trade deadline.
The San Francisco 49ers have had some luck in developing fringe offensive linemen into quality starters, and perhaps the best most-recent example is center Jake Brendel, who was almost a complete unknown as a journeyman veteran prior to getting his starting gig in 2022.
Yet the Niners have had their share of misses on the O-line, too, and there have been plenty of "mid" acquisitions and pickups along the way as well.
Six games into the 2023 season, and only days away from the NFL trade deadline at the end of October, it's safe to argue San Francisco's O-line is the offense's No. 1 weakness, primarily the right side of it where right guard Spencer Burford and right tackle Colton McKivitz are doing enough to not be complete liabilities but also aren't establishing this group as a strength.
Burford has allowed a team-high 16 pressures to go along with five penalties against, while McKivitz is responsible for a team-high four sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 49ers have a projected 12 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft and also boast the league's most salary cap space, currently, at over $40 million.
From that vantage point, there is nothing that should stop the Niners from trying to upgrade the right side of the O-line by making another deadline deal.
And one of these three players could be targeted.