The San Francisco 49ers just made a last-minute move, trading a Day 3 pick for Houston Texans offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson on cutdown day. It’s literally a week away from the season kicking off, and that desperate grab for interior offensive line help has our guy, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, sounding the alarm bells for everyone who watches this division. He’s not buying their strategy, not one bit.
They Ran It Back… To What?
It’s wild, but the Niners basically ran back their starters on the offensive line this offseason: Trent Williams, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, and Colton McKivitz. They held back, didn’t want to spend big in free agency or the draft on the O-line. Their big free agent moves? Vederian Lowe on a two-year, $9.25 million deal for a swing tackle, Brett Toth on a one-year, $2.5 million deal to compete at guard, and Robert Jones on a one-year, $1.75 million deal to also fight for left guard with Connor Colby. Seriously? They waited until Day 3 of the draft to pick up Washington’s Carver Willis in the fourth round and Kansas’s Enrique Cruz Jr. in the fifth. All that set up a left guard battle that’s been, let’s just say, “mixed results” with injuries messing things up. Willis has apparently progressed the most, but clearly, it wasn’t enough. Shanahan himself admitted the starting left guard isn’t even decided yet! Analysts have been calling them out for years on this, for not spending a first-round pick on the O-line since Mike McGlinchey in 2018, and for barely investing in free agents outside their own guys. It makes you wonder what they’re thinking.
Sherman Knows Our D-Line Is a Problem
Sherman pulled no punches after that Patterson trade. He’s genuinely concerned, saying, “The thing they didn’t do that I was concerned about was that interior offensive line. They didn’t strengthen it.” He hit ’em with the truth, “Now, we’re late into training camp. Training camp is done. We’re late in the offseason. We’re a week away from the season, and they’re trading for interior offensive linemen because it’s an obvious place of concern. We knew that two years ago. And that’s the part where I don’t really get it.” You hear that? *Two years ago!* The 49ers have known this was a weakness! But then Sherman gets to the real kicker for us Seattle fans. He points out exactly who they’re about to face: “You’re about to go against the most dynamic D-Lines in the league in LA and Seattle. Two of the most incredible D-Lines in the league, and you’re just gonna say, hey, we’ll figure it out as we go. Against Aaron Donald? Against Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed? That’s what you’re gonna go with? That’s the plan? That’s the part with the San Francisco 49ers where I’m like, the roster building, I don’t understand it.” Our guys, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed, are explicitly named as part of that “incredible” D-Line that’s going to feast on this unprepared offensive front. You love to see it!
So, as the 49ers scramble to figure out who’s protecting their quarterback just days before the season kicks off, we in the Emerald City know exactly what’s coming for them. Sherman’s right, those D-Lines in the NFC West are no joke, and our boys are ready to prove it. This early season, we’ll be watching to see if their patchwork O-line can hold up, especially when they roll into Lumen Field. Get ready, 12s, it’s gonna be a fun one!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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