Kyle Shanahan explains why unprecedented 49ers O-Line turnover might not be as bad as it seems

The San Francisco 49ers' offensive line is vastly different heading into the penultimate game of the 2024 season to the one that started the campaign. A host of injuries up front have left the Niners in a dire situation on the O-Line. The season is over for left tackle Trent Williams, swing tackle Jaylon Moore […]

Nicholas McGee
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San Francisco 49ers center Jake Brendel (64) reacts to a penalty call during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers' offensive line is vastly different heading into the penultimate game of the 2024 season to the one that started the campaign.

A host of injuries up front have left the Niners in a dire situation on the O-Line.

The season is over for left tackle Trent Williams, swing tackle Jaylon Moore and left guard Aaron Banks, while Spencer Burford will miss Week 17 because of a calf injury.

With right tackle Colton McKivitz questionable to face the Detroit Lions with a knee injury, the 49ers face the prospect of starting two tackles who have spent fewer than two weeks with the team in Austen Pleasants and Charlie Heck, while Nick Zakelj is in line to make his first start of the season at left guard.

The lack of continuity up front puts the Niners in a very difficult spot for their NFC Championship Game rematch with the Detroit Lions.

But head coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that Heck, who spent last season playing under a Shanahan acolyte in Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, will be able to make the transition smoothly and mitigate some of the impact of a remarkable level of turnover on the O-Line.

Asked if this is the highest level of turnover he has experienced in his career, Shanahan said: "Probably. Biggest one I can remember."

But Heck's experience with Slowik is a saving grace, with Shanahan adding: "He has the most familiarity with some terminology. 

"So anytime there’s some crossover, different O-Line coaches, you go to different places, you change your words and stuff, but a lot, when it comes from the same foundation you have some familiarity and so it’s not completely starting a new language. That always helps."

In Heck, the 49ers have added a player who can help get them through to the end of a season they are keen to forget without quarterback Brock Purdy taking too much punishment. But, going forward, the speed in which their depth on the offensive line has disintegrated is illustration of why the Niners must invest heavily in the trenches in the offseason.

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