The San Francisco 49ers offensive line has been inconsistent much of this season, but Week 9 did offer some bright spots. While Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Kilgore struggled much of the day, changes at the tackle position paid off.
Trent Brown moved to left tackle in place of an injured Joe Staley, and rookie Erik Magnuson took over at right tackle. Zane Beadles had replaced Brown at right tackle after the concussion, but the team saw enough from Magnuson to give him a chance.
It was a solid day for the two tackles. Brown allowed a single hurry, while Magnuson allowed two hurries, per Pro Football Focus. It is worth noting Brandon Fusco had a clean shot in pass blocking, Laken Tomlinson allowed three sacks, one hit, and two hurries, and Daniel Kilgore allowed a sack, two hits, and one hurry.
We won’t be seeing a Brown/Magnuson book-end once Joe Staley returns, but this certainly raises some interesting possibilities. Does Magnuson become the swing tackle? He can also play the guard positions, so maybe we see him replace Zane Beadles in the near future? Given the number of injuries, I don’t see Zane Beadles getting released the rest of this season, but if they do get sufficiently healthy on the line, maybe we start to see Beadles getting deactivated.