Nov 24, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco 49ers president of football operations John Lynch looks on during warmups prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

John Lynch Says the 49ers 'Have a Pretty Steady' Offensive Line

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Grant Cohn | Last updated Mar 31, 2025 3:45 PM ET

PALM BEACH -- Everyone agrees that the 49ers' weakest position group the past few seasons has been their offensive line.

Everyone except the 49ers.

If you ask general manager John Lynch, he'll tell you that the 49ers' offensive line isn't an issue at all. Check out what he said about the O-line on Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting.

"On the lines in particular, you're always looking to add and improve," Lynch said. "I will tell you, we like our right tackle. We like our center. Left guard, we have some candidates in-house right now. Will we look at add in the draft? Certainly.

"That's something where I don't follow the narrative of where our guys are. We evaluate our players and we think we've got a pretty steady group. When Trent Willianms is down, you're not going to be quite as good...We'll try to improve our offensive line through the draft, but a lot of good pieces there already."

Lynch's comments reveal why the 49ers offensive line never will be a strength of the team. And that's because the 49ers aren't trying to build a dominant offensive line. They merely want one that's "steady."

And as long as Trent Williams is the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL, the other four starters will be cheap. Which means the 49ers like Jake Brendel and Colton McKivitz at their current salaries because they're dirt-cheap veterans.

Fortunately for the 49ers, rookies also are cost-effective, so expect them to draft a few next month.