Add Offensive Line Help

Over the course of the season, San Fransico’s offensive line was hit with an abundance of injuries. The offensive line contained the talents of Joe Staley, Laken Tomlinson, Ben Garland, Mike Person, and Mike McGlinchey. All of the starting five missed extended time throughout the course of the season, with the exception of Tomlinson, who played all 16 regular-season games and three postseason games.

The 49ers have two high caliber offensive tackles with Staley and McGlinchey on the edge. Although, Staley’s entering his age 36 season, and he’s coming off an injury-plagued year where he missed nine games, so looking to add a quality swing tackle could definitely be in the future plans.

Aside from adding depth at offensive tackle, an even bigger replacement looms who will fill the shoes of Garland as he enters free agency this offseason? According to Spotrac.com, the 49ers have an estimated $21 million to spend, and then when you factor in potential spending dollars to re-sign Sanders, San Francisco could find themselves strapped for cash this offseason.

Building the offensive line through the draft would be ideal in this case, but the 49ers only have one draft pick in the first four rounds. Lynch and Shanahan struck gold with last year’s draft class, but that’s not always a guarantee. Their most ideal situation at the center position is to either re-sign Garland or consider bringing in another veteran who’s looking to rejuvenate his career in Shanahan’s well established zone-blocking scheme.