One change the 49ers should consider along the offensive line

Aaron Banks and Jake Brendel have struggled, opening the door for Jon Feliciano to start.

One month ago, San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster called Jon Felciano a “luxury” because “Aaron [Banks], Dom[inick Puni] and Jake [Brendel] are playing pretty good football.”

It’s been a different story during November. Using Sports Info Solutions’ blown blocks and penalties tracking, the 49ers have two offensive linemen who qualify as competent:

It’s unsurprising to see Colton McKivitz at the top of the list in block blocks against the pass. We know who he is: Mike McGlinchey all over again, for better and worse. But it’s troubling knowing that Aaron Banks and Jake Brendel are on McKivitiz’s heels.

In a contract year, Banks has been the biggest disappointment. He had an opportunity to earn another deal from the Niners, but I’m not sure he’s given the team any reason to extend the right guard.

During that same media availability in October, Foerster suggested that he would be willing to make a change if the situation called for it:

“But doesn’t mean that if they stumble or if there’s something the guy needs to be out for a little bit or whatever it is, Jon can step in and play. It gives us a great deal of flexibility and gives us a great deal of confidence in knowing that if we do have somebody that needs to be replaced or something happens, you definitely have somebody that can do it. And then, yeah, it’s always open. Shoot, somebody’s playing better or somebody’s struggling, you’re going to say, let’s give the other guy a shot.”

Whether it’s Brendel or Banks, the struggles are apparent, and the 49ers should consider inserting Feliciano at guard or center. In 2023, Feliciano played 26 snaps at center but 208 snaps at left guard. He’s the definition of a swing interior lineman, as he also rotated with Spencer Burford at right guard, playing 395 snaps.

We’ve seen Brock Purdy form bad habits and take off sooner than he wants to. Why is that? Well, it’s evident he doesn’t trust the players protecting him. Too often, Banks gets reset and plays on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage, while Brendel is a step slow and has issues keeping up with more athletic defensive tackles.

More and more defenses are manipulating the 49ers pass protection rules after seeing what Steve Spagnuolo did in the Super Bowl. Another way they’re taking advantage of the Niners is by forcing Brendel to block 1-on-1. The results have not been favorable for the offense:

Brendel is at his best when he’s uncovered and can climb to the second level or help one of the guards to his right or left. When he’s tasked with being one of the primary blockers, the clip from above is happening far more than it should.

I’d argue that Banks has been worse on a down-to-down basis. His awareness is subpar, and his athleticism is below average. The mentality might be the biggest concern. When you watch Jauan Jennings, he’s consistently blocking through the whistle, and his defender is either into the ground or three yards out of bounds.

That mindset does not exist when you watch the offensive line, which is why it’s time for a change.

So the question is, does Feliciano bring more to the table at center or left guard? The center is responsible for the line calls, so there’d be more on his plate. The 49ers aren’t married to Banks or Brendel after this season contractually.

The quick pressures Brendel allows are concerning, which is why it wouldn’t be surprising to see Feliciano, a player who played nearly 1,100 snaps in 2022 at center, start for the 49ers moving forward to help spark the run and passing game.