It’s not exactly a secret the 49ers offensive line is one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster. Even with Trent Williams manning the left tackle spot, there are still enough question marks that keep this unit at the bottom of any 49ers position group power rankings.
There weren’t any major changes in this offseason, but there were some interesting moves on the margins that should give us a few questions to answer as the team goes through training camp.
Colton McKivitz wasn’t bad as a starting right tackle last season. It’s absolutely a spot San Francisco could upgrade though. McKivitz didn’t face any real competition last training camp. This year it’s unclear whether he’ll be handed the starting gig again or if players like Chris Hubbard and Brandon Parker (or Puni) will get chances to wrestle that starting gig away from the incumbent. We should learn early on where McKivitz’s job security is based on which players are rotating in with the starters.
While there are questions in the starting unit, depth has also been a concern for San Francisco the last handful of years. They’ve been one injury away from being really up against it on the offensive front. This year with some of the moves they’ve made on the fringes they could give themselves an opportunity to have a deep group where an injury or two doesn’t cost the club much in the way of productivity up front. It’ll be worth watching how the starting group shakes out, but the second and third-team reps will tell us a lot about whether the overall depth at the weakest area of the roster has improved.
