It was an ugly performance on Thursday night from the 49ers offensive line. The team committed 11 penalties for 104 yards and consistently allowed pressure on its quarterbacks, whether it was Trey Lance, Nate Sudfeld or Brock Purdy.
Trent Williams, Mike McGlinchey and Daniel Brunskill were all out, the interior of the line, in Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel and Spencer Burford, appears like it will be the starting group to open the season.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch, the team has made calls about acquiring an interior offensive lineman, but nothing is imminent.
“The 49ers have recently made trade inquiries to add an interior offensive lineman, but a deal doesn’t appear imminent, according to league sources,” Branch wrote.
In a Friday conference call, Kyle Shanahan acknowledged the growing pains that will come with playing young offensive linemen, but affirmed his belief that they will turn out to be productive NFL players.
“We’re not there yet. I think that’s obvious,” Shanahan said. “We got some new guys and some young guys and also, not having McGlinchey in there and his little setback has hurt. I’m hoping to get him back, not having Dan Brunskill in there, who’s been a starter for us the last two years has also been rough. But what I’m excited about is all these young guys who are getting these opportunities and playing, they all have the ability to be very good in this league.”
Shanahan continued, saying that they’ll improve with more experience, “but it does take time in this league.” The 49ers are quickly running out of that time, with Shanahan acknowledging, “the season is now just 17 days away.”
When asked about Aaron Banks, Shanahan said he felt he played better than he did against Minnesota, and some of the offensive line issues were not on him. At times, he believed the quarterback should have delivered the ball quicker.
While the team’s young players may pan out, there is plenty of cause for concern at this stage, especially with such a massive investment from the team in Lance.