PFF: 49ers Center Jake Brendel is the NFL's 24th-Best Center

One of the worst starters on the 49ers is veteran center Jake Brendel.

He's a former undrafted free agent who will turn 33 in September. And almost any time he has to block a defensive tackle one-on-one during a pass play, he gets beaten badly. And yet, the 49ers love him because he fits their zone-blocking system for their running game. That's why he's signed through 2026.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Pro Football Focus recently ranked him just 24th out of 32 starting centers in the NFL.

"While Brendel has stumbled as a pass blocker over the past two seasons, he continues to showcase his ability as a run blocker," writes PFF's Mason Cameron. "The 49ers veteran produced a 70.0-plus PFF run-blocking grade in 2023 and 2024, garnering a top-15 rank at the position over that span."

The 49ers always care more about run blocking than pass protection unless the player is a left tackle. That's because they're a run-first, play-action-second, drop-back-pass-third team. And when they do drop back and pass, they rarely throw deep. Instead, they typically ask the quarterback to get the ball out of his hands quickly and in rhythm which means the offensive linemen don't have to block for a long time.

This philosophy works most of the time. But when they're losing in the second half and they have to pass to come back, they usually can't. They simply don't have the offensive line to do it.

Maybe one day the 49ers will update their offensive-line philosophy.