The San Francisco 49ers have issues on the offensive line, and it would appear they are at least considering some options on the free agent market. USA Today Sports NFL writer Tom Pellissero is reporting the 49ers have reached out to free agent offensive tackle Russell Okung. This comes following word the team is working on a deal with offensive guard Ted Larsen.
Okung represents himself, and the process has been slow developing for him these first couple of days. He is expected to visit both the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, according to Ian Rapoport. Initial reports suggested he was visiting the Giants on Friday, but a Lions beat writer said Okung is expected to get both visits in. There is no word yet on if a visit will happen with the 49ers.
The 49ers currently have Joe Staley at one tackle position, and then questions at the other spot. Erik Pears opened the season as the starter. Trenton Brown took over late when Pears was moved to right guard. Anthony Davis has said he is coming back. The 49ers could still draft a tackle, but right now, those are the main three guys potentially competing for that position. If Davis returns, great, but if not, the 49ers need options.
I spoke with Danny Kelly from Field Gulls, and he had some interesting comments, particularly about why a deal probably would not work with the 49ers:
Okung is Seattle's best offensive lineman and it's not really close -- but that is definitely a relative thing. He's always been a pretty solid player in pass pro, and when he's faced off against some of the top pass rushers, he's done alright. He's also pretty solid in the run game -- physical and technically sound. He has driven Seattle fans crazy over the years though with a lot of false start penalties, and he's been anything but reliable when it comes to health. In terms of left tackles in the league, I'd put him somewhere in the "solid" group, but definitely not in the elite tier like Joe Staley. It's not easy to find a solid left tackle though, so he'll get paid pretty well, I'm guessing.
As for the Niners, I'm guessing that Okung won't want to play on the right side. He's repping himself, so I think he feels a lot of pressure to get top-dollar and something that looks really good on the surface -- because he's trying to blaze a new path. I doubt he would accept a 'demotion' to the right side.