Filling this gap won’t be snap
Westburg injury makes it clear: S.F. needs center
The middle of the offensive line has long been a massive priority for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
In 2014, when he was the Browns’ offensive coordinator, Cleveland matched an offer sheet to resign Pro Bowl center Alex Mack.
In 2016, when Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, Atlanta also signed Mack.
In 2017, a month after Shanahan’s hiring, the first trade the 49ers made under their new regime was for Baltimore center Jeremy Zuttah.
In 2018, after Zuttah didn’t work out, the 49ers’ most expensive freeagent acquisition was Giants center Weston Richburg, who signed a fiveyear, $47.5 million deal.
In 2021? It’s time for Shanahan to go center shopping again.
Richburg, 29, already was expected to be released this offseason to clear salarycap space. That likelihood became a lock Wednesday with the news that Richburg recently had his fourth surgery in his 49ers’ tenure. Richburg had hip surgery this offseason, there is no timetable for his return and “his future on the field is to be determined,” NFL Network reported.
Richburg also has had surgery on his quadriceps, knee and shoulder since the end of the 2018 season and hasn’t played for the 49ers since Dec. 8, 2019. Richburg signed with the 49ers after missing the final 12 games in 2017 with a concussion.
With Richburg sidelined for all of last season, the 49ers started three centers: Ben Garland, who missed 11 games with injuries, Hroniss Grasu and Daniel Brunskill, who moved from right guard after Grasu struggled in his three starts. Garland, 32, who is an unrestricted free agent, isn’t a longterm answer. And Brunskill is better suited at guard.
Shanahan prizes centers who have the physical ability to make blocks on outsidezone runs and the intellect to call adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
“It really helps solidify the whole Oline,” Shanahan said in March 2018 after Richburg was signed. “I feel that’s usually where it starts. There’s a lot of good players, but when you have a differencemaker at that position — what I’ve found and I’ve experienced through my career — it’s been a lot easier to run an offense.”
A free agent who would be an
obvious fit? That would be Mack, 35, although the sixtime Pro Bowl selection and Cal alum is on the downside of his career. Other freeagent possibilities include Green Bay’s Corey Linsley, 29, and New England’s David Andrews, 28. If the 49ers wait until the draft and prioritize the position with a rookie, Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater, who could become an interior lineman in the NFL, would be a firstround target.
Transaction: The 49ers claimed cornerback Mark Fields, 24, off waivers from the Texans. The Clemson alum has also spent time with the Chiefs and Vikings since entering NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019. His father, Mark Fields, was a Pro Bowl linebacker who had a 10year career with the Saints, Rams and Panthers.