Right Guard is Daniel Brunskill's Job to Lose
Daniel Brunskill was a diamond-in-the-rough addition by the 49ers last offseason. I would even go as far as to say he was their best free-agent signing, considering the multiple positions he filled on the offensive line.
Not many players are capable of making such a smooth transition to other positions on the offensive line like Brunskill did. His next transition will not involve multiple positions. Instead, it will involve focusing on one - right guard.
Right guard is Daniel Brunskill's to job lose.
General manager John Lynch has been on record that he sees Brunskill competing for the starting the job. That is why Brunskill has been putting more of an emphasis in his offseason workouts towards that position.
"Definitely have taken a good amount of reps at right guard when I am practicing by myself," Said Brunskill in his presser Thursday. "But mainly I'm just ready to be starting at any position and ready to go anywhere."
It is admirable to see that Brunskill is keeping himself on his toes for every position. But the reality is that right guard is where the 49ers are envisioning him to play.
When the 49ers cut ties with Mike Person, it was clear that Brunskill was viewed as the future of the position. He has more than proven to the coaching staff that he deserves to settle into one position. Plus, he should be able to topple Person's 2019 season performance due to his lateral quickness.
Now the team did sign Tom Compton away from the New York Jets. And its not like his addition at $2.75 million was solely for depth purposes. Compton was brought on to compete at right guard, and in his mind it is to become the starter.
It is a clear two-horse race at the position with Brunskill as the favorite. This is a situation where it is a win-win for the San Francisco 49ers. They allow Brunskill a shot to become the starter, but will not hand him the job, which is why Compton is on the team. This way, Brunskill must continue to fight and claw.
But Brunskill is the favorite is because the system is already embedded into him. That, and he's familiar with right guard from last season, which should give him another leg up.
If he wins the starting job, then the 49ers can either cut Compton before paying his full salary, or retain him for depth. There is no such thing as too much depth at offensive line as the 49ers learned last season. If he fails, then they know he is not ready and can insert Compton there.
The interior offensive line was the Achilles heel of the 49ers last season, with right guard at the forefront. The three games where it reared its ugly head were against the Falcons, the Rams (Week 16), and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
San Francisco desperately needs solidification at right guard. And Brunskill can be that solidification if he seizes the opportunity. I have little doubt in my mind that he won't be able to take advantage.
For a player that has proven to handle multiple position changes, it should not shock anyone if Brunskill turns out to become an adequate right guard.
