The San Francisco 49ers will be appearing in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and this time, they will be going up against a very strong Detroit Lions team.
While the 49ers are favored to win by a healthy spread, Detroit is very capable of mounting a challenge and possibly even beating them. Detroit went 12-5 in the regular season and boasts a strong run defense, which could end up neutralizing star running back Christian McCaffrey and putting more pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy and banged-up wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Whether San Francisco wins and advances to Super Bowl LVIII or not, it has made a move with the immediate future in mind. It has signed Isaac Alarcon, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound offensive lineman who had previously spent time with the Dallas Cowboys as a member of their practice squad, according to Matthew Davis of Heavy Sports.
“While the San Francisco 49ers signed a tall offensive lineman before the NFC Championship Game, he won’t play until next season,” wrote Davis.
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Isaac Alarcon, San Francisco 49ers Updates
“That’s former Dallas Cowboys 6-foot-7, 320-pound offensive lineman Isaac Alarcon, who signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers on Tuesday. Alarcon spent time on the Cowboys practice squad during the four years since he joined the team in 2020.
“Dallas obtained Alarcon, a Mexico native, via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program in 2020. Alarcon never moved up from the practice squad to the active roster, and he tried a position change to defensive tackle in 2023 before the season.”
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Isaac Alarcon, San Francisco 49ers Updates
San Francisco has had some mild offensive line concerns. While it boasts Trent Williams, arguably the NFL’s best left tackle who has been named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and the All-Pro First Team in each of the last three seasons, the right side of its offensive one is iffy.
While Purdy has been excellent since taking over the QB1 spot in Week 13 of last season and has proven himself to be adept at making quick reads, there are times when he can be flustered by blitzes and pressure. In addition, a lot of the Niners’ offensive action tends to focus on the left side of the field so that Williams can clear space for their skill players.
One thing that should help Alarcon is the fact that he’s good friends with Niners tackle Alfredo Gutierrez.
Moving forward, the team doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses that need to be addressed this offseason, so perhaps some upgrades for its offensive line will be its top priority.
