Daniel Kilgore public intoxication charges dropped, arrest can be expunged

The San Francisco 49ers rough offseason took a slight turn for the better last Friday. According to multiple reports, the Kingsport General Sessions court has dismissed the public intoxication charge filed in January against center Daniel Kilgore. Additionally, Kilgore can get the arrest expunged from his record. We thought at the time that it sounded like a pretty bogus arrest, so it's good to see this go away.

The 49ers were not overly concerned about the arrest, as they signed Kilgore to a 3-year extension a month later. Kilgore is currently the leading candidate to replace Jonathan Goodwin as the starting center. The deal is not so big that it would be prohibitive for bringing in a center in the draft, but I expect Kilgore to be the starting center when the regular season starts. The team has been grooming him, as he has handled the backup center duties the last year. When Goodwin did not attend the non-mandatory OTAs, Kilgore handled first team center duties. Additionally he was the center off the bench.

Joe Looney said he got some center practice last season, so there will be some level of competition for the position. By the time we get to the regular season, the depth behind Kilgore (and the rest of the offensive line) could be all over the place. Adam Snyder is the primary backup along the offensive line. He'll get competition from Joe Looney, Al Netter and maybe Jonathan Martin at guard. He'll also get competition from Martin, Luke Marquardt and Carter Bykowski at tackle. Could it be enough to result in Snyder not making it through final roster cuts? He'll probably be a favorite heading into camp, but if the 49ers are comfortable with some combination of Looney, Martin and Marquardt, maybe the 49ers part ways with the veteran.