Sourdough Sam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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The San Francisco 49ers brass appear to do their best work past nightfall. (An inside joke for those who followed along with John Lynch's free agency tweets.)
In the wee hours leading up to the start of the new league year, the 49ers finalized two deals to help bolster one of their biggest questions of the offseason. Outside of the cornerback position, the offensive line appeared to be the most glaring need for San Francisco.
Perhaps one of the biggest question marks was the status of Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams. After joining San Francisco in a draft day trade with the Washington Football Team last April, Williams returned as one of the best tackles in the NFL in 2020. The left tackle appeared in 14 games and earned Pro Football Focus' top grade of any tackle in the league, aiding him to his eighth-career Pro Bowl nod.
An elite tackle of Williams' caliber doesn't hit the market often. The 49ers made sure to lock down Williams for the long term, signing him to a record-breaking six-year deal to keep him in San Francisco for the foreseeable future.
Nearly in the same breath, San Francisco managed to shore up the center position. It was reported Weston Richburg, who missed the entire 2020 campaign while working his way back from a torn patellar tendon, would undergo offseason hip surgery, putting his future in question.
Shortly after the report of Williams' re-signing, the 49ers locked down former Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack. Mack spent the past five seasons in Atlanta, including the 2016 Super Bowl season under then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The six-time Pro Bowler also played under Shanahan during his tenure with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. According to PFF, Mack earned a 65.9 overall grade in 2020, the lowest of his career, however, finished the year graded as the 16th-best center across the league. He allowed just one sack in 633 pass blocking attempts last season.