San Francisco 49ers center Jake Brendel went from being undrafted to the starting center of the 49ers. He ranked 11th in blocking amongst 50 centers in NFL, per Pro Football Focus. In his first entire season as a starter, Brendel has given up 14 pressures (one sack, three hits, and ten hurries). He had the opportunity of snapping the ball to not one, not two, not three, but four quarterbacks during the same season. Jake is unique, memorable, and, most important, a trustworthy person to have on a championship team.
Brendel will become one of the 23 unrestricted free agents for the San Francisco 49ers. In his most recent interview, he stated that he has a family and is ready to take on free agency.
"You still got to hit free agency and see what that is, and I have a kid now," Brendel told reporters this past Tuesday. "It's going to be a hard decision, but hopefully, we can definitely get something figured out."
The top five free agents at the center position are Rodney Hudson (Arizona), Conner McGovern (Jets), Jason Kelce (Eagles), Jon Feliciano (Giants), and Garrett Bradbury (Vikings). There may be a team out there willing to offer the Pro Bowl alternate, Brendel, a much better offer than the 49ers.
Here are three reasons why the 49ers should make Jake Brendel the center moving forward.
His ability to learn on the fly
During Weeks 1-6, Brendel appeared to be the weakest link on the offensive line. He had three games with multiple penalties, which cost his team touchdowns.
Continuity & Chemistry
Jake Brendel got better and better over time. He got better in run blocking, his pass protection was amongst the top of the league, and he earned himself a Pro Powl alternate spot. It's almost like that slogan from NBC, "The more you know, the more you grow." Brendel proved that the more he played in the most complex system of the NFL, the better he became. Repetitions helped with Brendel's muscle memory to build his continuity, and the better he performed helped strengthen his chemistry with his teammates.
"If it isn't broken, don't fix it."
Brendel proved he could learn on the fly and build excellent continuity and chemistry among his teammates. He earned the trust of his offensive line coach, Chris Foerster, which earned the trust of head coach Kyle Shanahan. Brendel helped strengthen that offense down the stretch, and most importantly, he has familiarity with quarterbacks Trey Lance and Brock Purdy.
In conclusion
Brendel returning to the 49ers is strictly on Brendel since he's an unrestricted free agent. Could the 49ers upgrade at the position via free agency or the draft? Possibly. With the center position being an essential piece of Kyle Shanahan's offense, the 49ers may need to make Jake Brendel the center of attention.
