49ers will have to fight to keep one of their key players
It’s easy to understand when considering how he played in 2022.
The San Fransisco 49ers had one of the NFL's best rosters in 2022 and the offensive line was a key factor in that development.
Two of those players, starting right guard Mike McGlinchey and starting center Jake Brendel, are set to hit the market once free agency's legal tampering period kicks off on Monday. McGlinchey is expected to have a rather large market and is en route to a big payday.
Brendel, on the other hand, is certainly the lesser-known prospect and it's not certain what his market will look like. Even if he played the most snaps out of any 49ers offensive linemen and helped the team finish fifth in Football Oustiders' adjusted line yards metric and with the 10th-best allowed adjusted sack rate
Well, as it turns out, there will be a quite of few teams outside of the 49ers that are interested in Brendel.
Per KPRC 2 Houston's Aaron Wilson, there are three AFC teams interested in Brendel and one of them just so happens to be the Houston Texans and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
It makes all the sense in the world for Ryans and co. to go after Brendel. For starters, former 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik is now the Texans' new offensive coordinator. Brendel will not have to learn a new system and will be a quality, plug-and-play starter at one of the game's most important positions.
Secondly, Brendel did have a strong season, as Wilson states. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed 14 total pressures in 2022, which was fourth-best among centers with at least 1,000 blocking snaps on the year. He allowed just one sack and finished tied for the third-best pass blocking efficiency rating among centers with at least 590 blocking snaps in 2022 (32 qualifying players).
Solid pass blocking is going to be needed in Houston since they will likely be taking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But the key thing about a rookie quarterback is needs as much effective communication when it comes to learning an NFL offense.
The quarterback-center relationship is already a crucial one and reliable communication is a major factor that allows it to grow. Brendel can be that guy for whomever the QB is -the reliable vet that can help slow things down- which will make their transition the NFL that much smoother.
There are a lot of pros that come with Brendel, his reliable run blocking being another trait. However, he was responsible for 12 penalties in 2022, which easily led all centers and tied for seventh-most among all NFL offensive linemen. He'll have to clean that up, for sure, but the good part is it's something he can control.
It's easy to see why the 49ers are going to have to fight to keep Brendel, especially when juxtaposing their cap situation with the Texans'. He will turn 31 in September and this could be his last chance to land a big contract. It makes much more sense to go for the money instead of a shot at winning when it comes to Brendel's particular case.
We'll find out what happens, soon enough.
