The Thinnest Position Group on the 49ers

At this stage of the offseason, it's hard to pinpoint the thinnest position group on the 49ers because so many of them lack depth.

That's because the 49ers currently are sitting on more than $46 million in salary cap space. They say they want to get younger and cheaper, and that involves starting lots of rookies and second-year players.

As of now, the starting safeties for Week 1 are projected to be Jason Pinnock and Ji'Ayir Brown. That's a thin position.

In addition, the starting defensive linemen are projected to be Nick Bosa and three rookies. That's another thin position.

But the thinnest position group on the team has to be the offensive line. Because while most position groups on the team lost key players this offseason, the offensive line is the one group that didn't see a serious influx of young talent.

Instead, the 49ers lost starting left guard Aaron Banks and swing tackle Jaylon Moore during free agency. Which means the 49ers essentially have the same offensive line as last season, minus two key players. So depth is a bigger issue this year than last year.

When Trent Williams is healthy, the 49ers offensive line isn't bad. But when he's out, the 49ers offensive line from left to right is Spencer Burford, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni and Colton McKivitz. The only quality starter in the bunch is Puni. And Williams misses at least two games every season. And they're 4-12 since 2020 when he doesn't play.

The 49ers need to improve this group before someone gets injured.