The San Francisco 49ers are entering an offseason that demands action, general manager John Lynch won’t have the luxury of sitting still.
Much of the attention will understandably land on skill positions, as it always does, but there’s a quieter issue looming beneath all of it.
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The Line Everyone Knows Is a Problem But No One Fixes
The 49ers’ offensive line has been held together by one generational player. Outside of Trent Williams, the group has felt like a rotating cast of players rather than a cohesive unit built to last.
Spencer Burford has been moved around the line without ever fully settling. Jake Brendel, now on the other side of 30, has been serviceable at best. Colton McKivitz remains a cost-conscious option who plays like one. Dominick Puni is young and intriguing, but injuries derailed his 2025 development before it could take off.
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And behind them?
Connor Colby is raw. Ben Bartch can’t stay healthy. And the rest of the depth chart is like a list of players you want to believe in but absolutely cannot trust.
Throughout the Kyle Shanahan era, the offensive line has rarely been a priority investment. Instead, it’s been just enough to function when everything else is clicking.
But when it doesn’t? The results are brutal.
When It Breaks, It Breaks Big
We’ve seen this story before. The offensive line cracking under pressure in the 2021 NFC Championship Game. The Super Bowl loss where protection failed at the worst possible moment. And most recently, the Seattle game…well both of them really.
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Each time, the response has been the same, Trent Williams.
And to be fair, that’s not wrong. Williams is still one of the best offensive linemen in football. Even at 37, his presence masks deficiencies across the line and allows Shanahan’s system to function.
This reliance comes with the dangerous assumption that Williams will always be there.
Trent Williams’ Leverage
Williams has already said he plans to return next season. On the surface, that sounds like stability. In reality, it’s a fragile safety net.
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The truth is, Williams holds immense leverage over the organization. If he chose to retire, hold out, or simply decide his body had had enough, the 49ers would have no viable answer. We’ve already seen what happens when depth linemen are forced into action.
There is no contingency plan.
San Francisco has placed itself in a position where its most irreplaceable offensive player is also the oldest, and the entire structure behind him is unproven. That’s not good roster construction.
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The Offseason Can’t Ignore This Any Longer
At some point, luck runs out.
The 49ers don’t need to rebuild the entire offensive line in one offseason, but they do need to show intent. Draft capital. Real competition. A long-term plan for life after Trent Williams, which is realistically coming sooner rather than later.
The franchise has been fortunate that Williams has remained elite, durable, and willing to keep playing deep into his 30s. But if the 49ers don’t start investing in the trenches now, they will find themselves in a costly position down the line.