Should the 49ers look to trade for an offensive tackle now that both starters are injured?
Losing a starting offensive tackle is a blow to any offense, but it isn’t the end of the world. An offense can still function and succeed relatively since they can scheme and adjust for one player. That’s what the San Francisco 49ers have been doing with Justin Skule at left tackle and the offense hasn’t skipped a beat.
Well things are about to change now that the domino effect of injuries has struck again on this team. This time it is starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey who is expected to be out for the next four-to-six weeks to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. It really is an unreal scenario for this team to be without not one, but both of their starting offensive tackles.
When Joe Staley first went out with an injury, the topic of discussion was whether or not the 49ers should look to trade for an offensive tackle. Someone like Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins. The 49ers decided to put their chips on Justin Skule and so far their gamble has paid off. However, now that McGlinchey is out it stretches the 49ers thin, especially with Kyle Juszczyk out since he plays a critical role in blocking.
The 49ers are 4-0 leading the NFC west and cannot afford too much of a drop off. With both starting offensive tackles out, should the 49ers now look to trade for a fill in?
It is definitely something they should consider since it does become enticing to do so. The 49ers depth at offensive tackle is razor thin. They have pretty much depleted the well of players at the position. Only Sam Young is the remaining backup at offensive tackle. Considering a trade should be in their minds, but I do think they’re schedule also plays to their favor.
Other than this Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers will face fairly easy opponents in the Redskins, Panthers and Cardinals. In a way, the injuries come at a fortunate time. The 49ers do not want to live in the moment and totally freak out over McGlinchey because that is when teams give up the farm for one player. Just look at what Bill O’Brien did in Houston by trading so much draft capital for Laremy Tunsil.
Kyle Shanahan said it best when asked if there is a sense of urgency to trade for an offensive tackle now. “I mean, you always feel the same. Things got to be available without being held ransom. You’ve got to be able to make smart decisions and if there was a smart decision out there we would definitely look into it. We look into it all, but it doesn’t seem like many are available right now”
It's easy to say that the 49ers should trade for an offensive tackle, but how many are actually available? Even Trent Williams has been pegged as off limits for Washington and the 49ers are not desperate to send a high end draft pick. Other than adding someone in free agency for depth, I highly doubt the 49ers make any moves for an offensive tackle. That's, of course, unless someone becomes available for the right price.
Daniel Brunskill will be the one to fill in while Mike McGlinchey is absent. Luckily for the 49ers, they can swing their support more towards Brunskill since Justin Skule has been playing quite well. Brunskill will be making his first ever start, so the 49ers will have rolled out two offensive tackles making their debut starts. It really is just an unreal and unfortunate situation they are in.
As bleak as things look with the injuries right now, I would not doubt Kyle Shanahan for a second. In fact, if there is any head coach that can overcome this, Shanahan would be one of very few that could. The right adjustments will be made to put his players in the right position to succeed. For all we know, the drop off from losing McGlinchey won't be dramatic.
