The San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2026 season have still failed to get over the hump with Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch. The head coach and general manager duo has failed to win a Super Bowl despite making two Super Bowls and four Conference Championships and consistently leading in both Super Bowls which they lost and in a Conference Championship that they lost as well. Heading into next season the offense led by the offensive minded Shanahan is set to be elite again. I will do a detailed assessment of each unit for the 49ers starting here with the offensive line of the team.
Set to start at left tackle is future hall of fame offensive lineman Trent Williams who is amongst the greatest offensive lineman in league history who is still playing at near peak form and is arguably still the premier left tackle in the game today. Williams despite now entering his late 30s was still graded as the third best overall tackle in the NFL this past season. However, there was a slight drop off to Williams’ pass protecting prowess during this past 2025 season and perhaps it is a sign of his decline due to age.
Set to start at the left guard spot is Robert Jones who is a decent player at the position but certainly not anything special. Jones was consistently slightly above average playing reserve snaps in each of his first three seasons in the NFL. Jones transitioned to a starting role for the first time this past season and saw his struggles grading (63/83) in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus among players at his position. Jones was effective as a pass protector however ranking (31/83) in terms of pass blocking efficiency among players at his position. Jones struggled as a run blocker in year 1 as starter after he was consistently above average in that department the previous two seasons in a reserve role. Jones now will head into year 2 as a starter and is expected to improve, if Jones can improve, he will be a solid but not spectacular starter at left guard for San Francisco.
Set to start at center is veteran Jake Brendel who is also a solid but not spectacular starter for San Francisco. In all four seasons that Brendel has started, he has graded in the above average range in terms of an overall offense grade among players at his position. In all four of those seasons, he has graded above average in terms of run blocking grade although struggling to remain consistent in pass protection. During Brendel’s first season as starter, he graded in the elite range in terms of pass protection among players at his position but then proceeded to grade below average in each of the next three seasons in that department.
Set to start at the other guard spot is 2024 third rounder Dominick Puni who has gotten off to a strong start to his career. In each of Puni’s first two seasons in the NFL he has graded in the above average to well above average range among players at his position. However, Puni has shown some inconsistencies thus far that he can hopefully hash out heading into year 3. But as of now Puni is an above average if not a well above average NFL starter.
Currently listed as the starter at right tackle is veteran Colton McKivitz who has consistently improved and turned into a very good NFL starter. McKivitz did not see the field much in years 1-3 and struggled even when playing. McKivitiz has logged over 1000 snaps per season in each of the last three years and has consistently improved into a well above average starter. McKivitz’s overall offense grades among players at his position reads as the following in chronological order since becoming a starter in 2023, (48/89), (36/87), (8/95). As you can see, he has gone from being not a starting caliber player to becoming borderline elite while consistently showing improvement.
The 49ers do lack depth on the offensive line as they have only one player as of now who is a viable starter/high end backup. Interior offensive lineman Brett Toth is a very capable player who could be a starter in the NFL. Toth, in 363 reserve snaps this past season ranked (14/87) in terms of an overall offense grade among players at his position, ranking in the top 10 in terms of run blocking although struggling in pass protection. Toth has also shown some capabilities in the years prior as well and as of now is the only high-level backup for the 49ers on the offensive line. The 49ers have a few other options who could step up for the team in case of injury, such as 2026 4th round tackle Carver Willis and 2025 7th round pick guard Connor Colby who looked solid as a rookie. But in totality, outside of Toth, the cupboard feels pretty bare from a reserve offensive line standpoint for the 49ers. A full breakdown of the 49ers’ offensive line heading into the 2026 season can be found below.
Starters
LT – Trent Williams – A to A+
LG – Robert Jones – C+ to B-, will likely improve heading into second full season as starter
C – Jake Brendel – C+ to B-, elite ceiling but too inconsistent as pass protector
RG – Dominick Puni – B to B+, still improving
RT – Colton McKivitz – B to B+, could warrant A grade soon if he continues improvement/strong play
Notable Reserves
G/C – Brett Toth – C+ to B-, could warrant an even higher grade with more snaps
As you can see the 49ers have a lot of talent on the offensive front, but it does not feel as if the 49ers will have an elite offensive line next season. The play that they see from their starting trio of interior offensive lineman is far too inconsistent as of now, Trent Williams is aging, and the 49ers do lack depth on the offensive line as well. The 49ers will likely have a solid to an above average offensive line next season but likely not anything special. However, if the trio of starting interior offensive linemen show improvement and if the team can stay healthy and not need to resort to subpar backups, the 49ers could have an elite offensive line next year.
